Tom Corbett says he's comfortable and hitting his stride as governor

Gov. Tom Corbett all but confirmed he'll be running for re-election Wednesday in a bullishly confident 90 minute appearance before The Patriot-News editorial board.

“I have no intention of breaking tradition,” Corbett said, alluding to Pennsylvania's near half century practice of electing two-term governors.

And when asked if he could envision a situation that would lead him to not seek re-election, the governor was resolute.

“I can't think of any,” he said flatly.

Though he occasionally drifted into hardly relevant anecdotes, Corbett was largely focused and demonstrated a detailed command of the wide range of issues facing the commonwealth.

It was a comfort level not seen in his previous two years in office and reflects a sentiment many at the capitol have observed in recent months: that Corbett is hitting his stride as governor.

“I do think he has increasingly become more personally involved,” Pileggi said. “Certainly in this budget preparation, and delivery, and post delivery, explanation, and advocacy, he's done much much more than he's done in the previous two budgets.”

Perhaps that comfort level explains why the governor seemed more willing to bend on his three signature proposals: reform of state workers' pension systems, upgrade and repair the states transportation infrastructure, and privatization of state liquor stores.

Further, he insisted that passing the initiatives in concert with his budget is more important to him than political stability.

“You all know this has to get done now,” Corbett implored members of the editorial board. “The further we go into the election cycle, the less likely it is to get done.”

But the governor resisted suggestions that lawmakers are skittishness about passing on transportation improvement costs to voters.

“If you want to run for office, I think you need to do what is in the best interests of the commonwealth, not necessarily what's in your best interest to get re-elected,” he said.

However Corbett seemed to be open to lawmakers' suggestions for greater transportation revenues. Many in the legislature have looked to public-private partnerships such as privately constructed toll roads. The governor endorsed the notion.

“I think you're going to see that as a wave of the future across the country,” he said.

The governor also suggested that his relationships with key Washington politicians will pay dividends in the transportation funding package.

“I'm hopeful that Congressman (Bill) Shuster is going to remember his home state,” Corbett said of the Blair County resident and new House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman.

Despite existing on opposite ends of the partisan array, the Republican governor said he may also be able to curry favor with Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, a Scranton native.

“The vice president and I get along pretty well,” Corbett said. “I talk to everybody down there.”

Turning to his pension reform plan, the governor suggested that talks with state worker unions could help ease passage, but that it will be particularly difficult in mid term.

“Coming in and saying 'We're going to try and fix the pension' isn't the most popular thing to be doing in the middle of a first term,” he said. “I understand that. But do I really have a choice?”

And, Corbett argued, some in organized labor appreciate the predicament.

“Some of the unions understand that there has to be some movement,” he said. “It's a question of what they may or may not be willing to do. I'm trying to be as reasonable as I possibly can be with them. And I think in many instances when membership to those unions are presented with the facts, they understand there is a problem. They are also the taxpayer.”

But the governor was adamant that the state should not be in the business of liquor sales, and that there should not be a slow transition from state-run stores.

There, he differs with state House Speaker Sam Smith, R-Punxsutawney, who has said rural counties like his own will suffer from the privatization plan. Smith maintains that smaller population counties can't support multiple free market stores.

“I will disagree with him on that,” Corbett said of Smith's contention. “I think you'll see competition (but) you're not going to put (competing stores) right next to each other.

“I know Sam very well,” the governor added. “We'll have to have a beer over this one.”