The six men running to be the state’s next governor took equal aim last night at the government that they hope to lead, painting Pennsylvania as a state where it is tough to find a job and run a business.
In a forum run by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the four Democrats and two Republicans did not clash at all as they took turns responding to questions.
They sounded so pro-business that state Attorney General Tom Corbett, an Allegheny County Republican, quipped: “Quite honestly, I feel like I’m at a Republican convention as this goes on.”
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, a Democrat, said he wanted to ease the tax burden on businesses and make state agencies like PennDOT and the Department of Environmental Protection user-friendly.
“They’ve got to understand that when a company asks for a permit, they’re not the enemy,” Onorato said. “They have a right to expect an answer in four months, not two years.”
State Rep. Sam Rohrer, a Berks County Republican, called the state government “hostile” toward business. The next governor must set the tone, he said.
“The bureaucracy works for the governor,” Rohrer said.
State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, a Philadelphia Democrat, said that people he talks with want a fair tax system in which everyone pays his share so that the taxpayer doesn’t wind up feeling like a “sucker.”
Tags: Anthony Hardy Williams, Dan Onorato, Dan Onorato for Governor, Jack Wagner, Jack Wagner for governor, Joe Hoeffel, Joe Hoeffel for governor, Sam Rohrer for governor, Tom Corbett, Tom Corbett for governor
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