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Reader Poll: Do You Approve of Gov. Wolf Firing Arneson?

Arneson-WolfWe’re willing to bet no one predicted this would be the first controversy of the Wolf Administration.

With just days left in his term, Gov. Corbett appointed Erik Arneson as Open Records Director.

Then, just a few days into his term Wolf rescinded that appointment along with another two dozen others his predecessor made on his way out the door.

Yet Arneson isn’t going away quietly and Governor Wolf seems to even welcome the fight.

So, we decided to take the question to you our readers.

Do You Approve Gov. Wolf’s Firing of Erik Arneson?


  • No (50%)
  • Yes (50%)

Total Voters: 2,463

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17 Responses

  1. I seem to remember Corbett pulling a 4 million dollar grant that had already been earmarked for vital redevelopment in my community that would have added over $800,000 in taxes to the school district and over $300,000 to my community, both if which are seriously economically challenged. No one gave a darn about the effect that had on our community, so kinda hard to be upset about an at will, backroom appointment getting pulled!

  2. “one of the most ineffective and non-transparent administrations in the recent history of the Commonwealth (aka the Corbett years).”

    Are you 4 years old, seriously?

  3. What everyone seems to ignore is that if you remove your partisan blinders, nothing precludes these persons from being re-nominated pursuant to an appropriate process. The persons whose nominations that Governor Wolf recalled, and in Mr. Arneson’s case removed, were admittedly selected in the backroom during the dying days of one of the most ineffective and non-transparent administrations in the recent history of the Commonwealth (aka the Corbett years). If anyone allowed partisan politics an over-sized role in the decision-making process, it was the lame-duck Governor Corbett and the Senate GOP. Instead of behaving like petulant children, the GOP and Mr. Arneson should throw the names back into consideration for the various positions along with other persons and allow the most qualified and best suited person(s) to emerge.

  4. If we wanted more of the same, PA voters would have left the other Tom (Corbett) in office. We didn’t want more of the same or Tom Corbett. Tom Wolf should put his own people in important jobs, if he really wants change to occur. Plus, I seem to recall the first thing Corbett’s people did when getting into office is purge massive amounts of information from pa.gov web pages. How much more damage could he do with a GOP functionary watching over ‘open records’? The only reasons we still have GOP-led legislature are 1) gerrymandering and 2) so many unopposed legislative races. People who voted Wolf into office need to stand up and stand by him on this one!

  5. PoliticsPA really needs to fix their polls from being manipulated, especially if they want us to take this website seriously.

    In an hour time this poll goes from 65% in favor to 53% and dropping?!?!?! Sounds like there is a bitter Republican who was way too much time on their hands.

    Fix your polls PoliticsPA so they can’t be “fixed” by others.

  6. Former director Terry Mutchler was a partisan and liberal Democrat appointed by Gov Rendell. Corbett didn’t mess with her six-year term. Whether or not Arneson is qualified, a nice guy, a Harrisburg political hack with little education or life/ work experience, the bottom line is he was appointed to a job that has a six year term. When any governor begins firing people in independent agencies, he can expect a lot of negative resistance. Venesky case was cited, but his behavior was erratic, to be gentle. Ridge removed him because his actions were not professional or up to standard. Let Arneson demonstrate his abilities. If he acts nuts like Venesky did, then by all means, fire him. But if he’s professional, then he stays. Just like Democrat Terry Mutchler stayed during a Republican administration. Firing Arneson was a mistake and creates unnecessary friction in a town that’s going to have plenty of natural friction over the next four years.

  7. Arneson is a career Harrisburg political lackey. Time for him to go and get a real job. I’m sure One Term Tom was busy packing up the office when Pileggi called and said “Hey, my boy needs a job…..” To paraphrase Joni Ernst, You can’t clean up Harrisburg without castrating a few pigs.

  8. Sounds like a good job for me. I would love to get into certain files that show why some of Corbett’s friends had criminal records expunged or they somehow magically disappeared!!!!!

  9. Why does this state hate gingers? Let him work, while searching far and wide for the perfect replacement. Instead you have no one running the office, while the search is on.

  10. Arneson was a useless putz who never managed anything in his life. How is he qualified to run a government agency? What did he do in the private sector exactly? The public sector? MBA? MPA? Nada. A big zero who needed a job after his boss was on the wrong end of a caucus power struggle.

  11. It seems like a dumb move for a guy who needs Republican support to get his own nominees through.

  12. It’s hysterical that the Rs claim it’s Wolf being political about this appointment. How many documents in that office do they not want us to see?

  13. Thank you Governor Wolf for standing up to the “politics as usual” Harrisburg mentality. The only people I trust are the ones you appoint. Your leadership change with the DRPA is refreshing, and Arneson has no business being Corbett’s lame duck appointee.

    KEEP GOING!!!!

  14. Is or was Governor Corbett hiding something that he doesn’t the taxpayers to find out? Why else would he appoint a gentleman who already works for the Republicans to be “Open Records Director”. Governor Wolf has every right to terminate Mr. Arneson, especially if he is an “at will” employee.

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    Total Voters: 30

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