Politics PA

By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com

HARRISBURG – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Knox unveiled Tuesday a plan to have Pennsylvania state government purchase electricity wholesale, a move he said would prevent a large electric-rate increase for residents and businesses that could occur when rate caps expire at the end of this year.

But Knox’s press conference, held in the Capitol’s media center, was dogged by questions from reporters about whether his campaign should have held the political event at a taxpayer-funded facility.

The gubernatorial candidate told reporters his press conference wasn’t a political event, just something designed to raise awareness of an important issue.

“I’m not here to talk about my campaign,” said Knox, who added that he was invited to speak by the state lawmakers standing behind him at the podium, Scott Conklin (D-Centre) and Kenyatta Johnson (D-Philadelphia).

When asked why one of the releases handed to reporters said “Knox for Governor” across its top, the candidate said he wasn’t aware campaign literature was present.  He added that he couldn’t help if some observers viewed his press conference as political.

Knox’s policy director, Chris Craig, interjected during the question-and-answer session that the campaign held the press conference in the Capitol for reporters’ convenience.

Harrisburg politicians and other politicos are extra sensitive to the possible conflation of taxpayer resources and political events because of the attorney general’s wide-ranging public corruption investigation, known as “Bonusgate.” The probe, which is ongoing and is said to be investigating all four caucuses, has already indicted 22 people.

The substance of Knox’s press conference focused on a policy paper that called for the creation of a “Power Purchasing Authority,” which the campaign said would be modeled after similar authorities in Illinois and New York. The state could buy electricity wholesale at a discounted rate, Knox said, much as Wal-Mart is able to do. And like the retail-store giant, he said the savings produced as a result could be passed on to consumers.

“Let me be clear, I intend to take on utility companies as governor,” Knox said. “I sincerely believe that voters want a governor that is willing to stand up for families and businesses who are struggling to pay electric bills.”

Knox has positioned himself as the reform candidate among the five-man Democratic gubernatorial field. His candidacy is considered a wildcard, primarily because of his personal wealth that he has promised to spend during the campaign.

He faces Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, Auditor General Jack Wagner in the primary.

The campaign among the five men will likely center in part on how state government should handle Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale natural gas reserves, considered a possible economic boon to the state’s northern and western halves.

Knox used the press conference to unveil a plan to use a natural gas extraction tax to back a $100 million energy development fund, which he said could provide businesses loans for “green job” training and grants to universities to develop energy-efficient technologies.

Craig said afterward the natural gas tax rate to raise $100 million would fluctuate based on what was necessary to raise the amount, but he said it would fall roughly between 8 percent and 9 percent.

Still, Knox’s press conference was marked for questions about whether he chose an appropriate venue.

When pressed by one journalist whether he should repay the state for any expenses incurred by his event, Knox said he might.

“I agree with you,” Knox said. “If that’s a perceived problem, we should pay.”

Republic state House lawmaker Sam Rohrer, when told of Knox’s press conference, said he would hope all the gubernatorial candidates would be wise enough to know not to “get close to the line of confusion” between political and government events.

Related Posts

1. PoliticsPA: Knox ends campaign, says Onorato gives Ds best chance in fall
2. PoliticsPA Reports: Knox touts wealth as key to reform
3. PoliticsPA: Rival campaigns react to Knox’s exit
4. PoliticsPA: Knox likely to end campaign Friday, according to source
5. PoliticsPA Reports: Knox positions as reform candidate

Tags: Chris Doherty, Dan Onorato, Jack Wagner, Joe Hoeffel, Tom Knox

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 1:37 pm and is filed under PA Reports, PoliticsPA Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.