PA Bill Number: HB829
Title: In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Description: An Act amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions;
Last Action: Signed in House
Last Action Date: Jul 3, 2024
Scott Wagner for governor: Wolf has failed leadership tests :: 11/01/2018
On Nov. 6 voters will decide whether to give a second term to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf or replace him with Republican Scott Wagner, who resigned his state Senate seat to campaign for the state’s top office full time. They should take a chance on Mr. Wagner.
Mr. Wagner, a wealthy businessman, served in the Senate for about four years, not long enough to show much leadership or compile much of a record. Mr. Wolf, another wealthy businessman and a former state revenue secretary, hasn’t built much of a legacy, either, at least not enough to recommend renewing his contract with the voters.
But when one man, or party, fails the American voter has recourse: Throw the bums out. Try something new. This is democratic accountability.
Mr. Wolf kicked off his tenure the right way, delivering a long-overdue dose of ethics to Harrisburg by banning executive-branch employees from accepting gifts. He also delivered a much-needed kick in the pants to his outgoing lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, stripping him of his security detail and taking other restrictive steps after reports that Mr. Stack and his wife verbally abused state troopers and other state personnel.
But Mr. Wolf has otherwise proved himself to be a weak and low-profile executive, with no policy home runs or exciting initiatives to credit him.
And his great and abiding failure was vetoing legislation that — finally — would have privatized and modernized the state’s inadequate and archaic liquor system. The governor chose patronage over the public good, flunking his one big test.
Mr. Wolf also chose to keep Pennsylvanians in the dark last year about the abrupt departure of commonwealth secretary Pedro Cortes, which came amid concerns about election and voting security. Mr. Wolf called Mr. Cortes’ departure a confidential personnel matter — a ludicrous claim. Once again small ball politics won over statesmanship.
Mr. Wolf’s administration also refused, like the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, to publicly release the incentives offered to Amazon for locating its second headquarters in Pennsylvania even though the state Office of Open Records ruled the document a public record. His secrecy is an affront to the taxpayers.
Mr. Wagner has failed to capitalize on the openings Mr. Wolf has given him. He’s been largely and strangely invisible and made his biggest headline in this campaign with his outrageous threat — later retracted — to stomp on Mr. Wolf’s face with golf cleats. The last thing the state needs is a governor heavy on bombast and light on good ideas.
So voters will have to pick their poison in the governor’s race — an incumbent who has failed every major test of leadership or a challenger who hasn’t showed that he can lead and may himself need to be fired in four years. There is not much to recommend Mr. Wagner, other than he is not Mr. Wolf. But that’s something, and it gives him a slight edge in this race.
