Rep. Allyson Schwartz’s campaign accused former Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf of “troubling plagiarism” in his policy platform, “Fresh Start for Pennsylvania.”
According to her campaign, portions of the Fresh Start plan are pulled directly from Johnson Controls, Inc. an energy equipment distributor that has tens of millions of dollars in state government contracts.
“Tom Wolf claims to be a different type of candidate,” said Mark Bergman, spokesman for the Schwartz campaign. “He says he will take us in a new direction with a ‘Fresh Start’ policy, yet the words aren’t even his own. Pennsylvanians deserve some honest straight answers from Tom Wolf for once.”
Their release includes the following chart which displays the copied passages.
Plagiarism in Wolf’s “Fresh Start” Plan
From Johnson Controls Inc. Policy Papers | From Tom Wolf’s “A Fresh Start” Policy Plan |
“Business and policy leaders from all political persuasions increasingly are examining ways to expand implementation of energy efficiency, especially in facilities. In the U.S. alone, buildings account for more than 70 percent of electricity use and almost 40 percent of CO2 emissions” [Johnson Controls Inc., Driving Energy Efficiency World Wide,2010] | “Business and policy leaders from all political persuasions increasingly are examining ways to expand implementation of energy efficiency, especially in building facilities.In the U.S. alone, buildings account for more than 70 percent of electricity use and almost 40 percent of CO2 emissions.” [Tom Wolf for Governor, A Fresh StartPolicy Plan, 2/12/14] |
“Meanwhile, new financing models have emerged that can make retrofit projects easier to capitalize, less risky for building owners and lenders, and mutually beneficial for building owners and their tenants.In general, tenants can benefit from lower net operating costs and higher-quality indoor environments, while the owner receives a modernized building that is more attractive and more marketable. Some buildings have seen a three-to-one ratio of increased property value versus dollars invested in energy retrofits. Both parties gain the recognition that goes with creating and occupying greener, more sustainable spaces.” [Johnson Controls Inc., An Awakening in Energy Efficiency: Financing Private Sector Building Retrofits, 2010] | “Meanwhile, new financing models have emerged that can make retrofit projects easier to capitalize, less risky for building owners and lenders, and mutually beneficial for building owners and their tenants. In general, tenants can benefit from lower net operating costs and higher quality indoor environments, while the owner receives a modernized building that is more attractive and more marketable. Some buildings have seen a three-to-one ratio of increased property value versus dollars invested in energy retrofits. Both parties gain the recognition that goes with creating and occupying greener, more sustainable spaces.”[Tom Wolf for Governor, A Fresh Start Policy Plan,2/12/14] |
“Estimates show that these investments could achieve 22 percent average energy savings across the entire stock of the nation’s existing commercial buildings, which consume 18% of the country’s energy and produce 18% of the its greenhouse gas emissions. Based on national-average commercial building fuel mixes and electricity emission factors, some 142 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions would be avoided – equivalent to the emissions from 31 coal-fired power plants.” [Johnson Controls Inc., An Awakening in Energy Efficiency: Financing Private Sector Building Retrofits, 2010] | “Through these and other national studies, estimates show that private sector investments in energy efficiency could achieve 22 percent average energy savings across the entire stock of the nation’s existing commercial buildings. Based on national-average commercial building fuel mixes and electricity emission factors, some 142 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions would be avoided – equivalent to the emissions from 31 coal-fired power plants.” [Tom Wolf for Governor, A Fresh Start Policy Plan, 2/12/14] |
“Energy efficiency has been called the ‘fifth fuel’ – a new source of energy that can be tapped to drive economic growth.There is broad consensus that the reservoir of energy efficiency is large and can be tapped at low cost. Studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conclude that the potential to reduce emissions through energy efficiency is substantial in several sectors, and especially in the buildings sector
Energy efficiency is also widely considered the least-cost way of meeting emission reduction targets. ‘Cost curve’ analysespublished by a variety of organizations, including the McKinsey Global Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the World Wildlife Fund, suggest that some carbon abatement strategies actually have a ‘negative cost,’ or a positive net present value – that is, the savings over the life of the investments more than pay for the initial cost.” [Johnson Controls Inc., An Awakening in Energy Efficiency: Financing Private Sector Building Retrofits, 2010] |
“Energy efficiency has been called the ‘fifth fuel’ – a new source of energy that can be tapped to drive economic growth. There is broad consensus that this reservoir of energy efficiency is large and can be tapped at low cost. Energy efficiency is also widely considered the least-cost way of meeting emission reduction targets. ‘Cost curve’ analyses published by a variety of organizations suggest that most carbon abatement strategies for building energy efficiency actually have a ‘negative cost,’ or a positive net present value – that is, the savings over the life of the investments will more than pay for the initial cost.” [Tom Wolf for Governor, A Fresh Start Policy Plan, 2/12/14] |
“We collected great ideas from all different sources for the Fresh Start plan – the public sector, the private sector and not-for-profits. This plan specifically cites more than 20 references throughout the 46 page document to other studies and articles that served as some of the foundation to our plan. It was important to us to give credit where credit was due,” Wolf spokesman Mark Nicastre said. “The language that has been pointed out should never have appeared in the manner in which it did. We are putting processes in place to make sure this does not happen again. This was a mistake and we regret it.”
“I have directed the staff to make sure nothing like this ever happens again and have asked for a new process to be put in place to ensure it does not,” Wolf stated.
The campaign terminated the individual responsible.
It’s been a tough few weeks for Wolf. State Treasurer Rob McCord released an ad saying that his extraction tax proposal wasn’t high enough, Schwartz demanded the terms of his loan be released and the Corbett campaign hit him for not releasing more than three years of tax returns.
Also running for Governor, but so far remaining out of the fray is former DEP Secretary Katie McGinty.
31 Responses
Ok I was under the impression that these were his positions not an intern cutting and pasting from the internet. I’m not a campaign person so I didn’t really know. The intern probably has a public policy degree so it’s the same thing.
Plagiarism is serious…..Wolf’s campaign team handles the daily details…the campaign manager and communications staffer should have vetted any ‘position papers.’ the Candidate (Wolf) is running all over the Commonwealth….and dealing with everything…..Wolf did the right thing, by firing the staffer in question. Does the charge rise to a major setback in the Wolf’s campaign? Not even close…look at every candidates written policy papers…I’ll bet there are plenty of ‘similar’ thoughts with everyone…..another attempt to sway voters with a ‘gotcha’ because Wolf’s opponents ‘got’ nothing else!
McCord and Schwartz are basically fighting for 2nd place on primary day. I don’t really get it.
Primary Night Election Results:
Wolf 49%
McCord 23%
Schwartz 19%
McGinty 9%
This was Tom Wolf’s platform. Shouldn’t someone who is governor material know what his staff is doing? Shouldn’t he know and have some input into what is going into the policy paper that is “his” vision for a fresh start? Whose vision is it then? Just an intern culling things from the internet? Did he tell that intern to copy material from there?
I agree with Isaac, this is pretty serious and raises more questions.
The younger generations don’t seem to have an appreciation for the severity of plagiarism and I appreciate the proactive, definitive action Tom Wolf and his campaign took in righting this wrong. Plagiarism in a college or university is a severe transgression, so should it be in all other walks of life. It’s unfortunate this staffer had not already taken those lessons to heart, but I hope this impresses upon him or her the importance of proper citation and not taking credit for work that is not your own – even worse when it makes your principal look bad.
Rob McCord is your typical, arrogant, self-serving politician who will say anything to get a vote and money, including outsourcing PA jobs. He was just elected again in 2012 to oversee the state Treasury. Instead he has spent 2013 and 2014 running for a promotion, instead of serving the taxpayers in the job they elected him to do. He’s lied about his past and being raised by a “single mom.” When he was in the private sector he outsourced jobs to India. Above all, he has zero integrity and lacks the character needed to move Pennsylvania forward. McCord will say and do anything to get a vote. He is arrogant, cocky and lacks the leadership PA is in desperate need of.
Don’t fall in the trap. Rob McCord is full of crap!
No wonder why the Mayors of large cities in PA including Pittsburgh, Lancaster and York have endorsed a real leader like Tom Wolf and NOT Rob McCocky.
Not to mention Pike County Dem Committee endorsed Tom Wolf just last night.
Facts are facts. Polls prove that our best chance to defeat Corbett by the largest margin of victory is with Tom Wolf!
McCord is an angry, arrogant, self-absorbed politican who will say anything to get ahead.
Tom Wolf proves his character once again… by owning it and firing the staffer… YOU WON’T GET ANOTHER POLITICIAN LIKE TOM WOLF…
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/04/wolf_fires_staffer_who_crafted.html#incart_river
I have to point out the continual class of the young wolf operatives posting here. Baseless attacks on a mans family are not needed. It does not surprise me that these are the types of people wolf attracts given who he has most closely associated with over the years.
Total lack of character.
Republicans will love voting for Tom Wolf, the only born and bred 1%er in the race for Governor.
@Jackel Tom Wolf is the best candadite. You want a liar look at McCord who has mommy and daddy issues.
Who goes to MIT and gets a public policy degree? Rich kids. That field ranks right up there with communications. This is farther proof that these policy papers are worthless. They didn’t even expect anyone to read it.
I thought these were his ideas not an intern pulling stuff off the internet?
Don’t worry McCord lies – Wolf is the strongest and best and was the nominee a month ago. Relax.
BREAKING NEWS…
PIKE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE ENDORSED TONIGHT:
Tom Wolf for Governor
Brad Koplinski for Lt. Governor
BREAKING NEWS>>
Pike County Democratic Committee tonight endorsed the next Governor of Pennsylvania, TOM WOLF.
The Schwartz staff is full of miserable trolls. Just read their tweets. I hope they all go back to DC and Missouri and practice their repulsive tactics there.
If this is the best she has got then she should drop out immediately. Im from Mercer County and I will say for 80% positive that she will not get over 15 percent of the vote in Mercer, Crawford, Lawrence, Butler counties.
My predictions for the final vote
Wolf 44%
McCord 33%
Schwartz 17%
McGinity 5%
Does she really think that this is going to win her votes? It may cost Wolf votes but they aren’t going to jump to her. This only helps McCord and McGinty. She has completely ignored any place outside of Southeast PA and deserves to come in fourth.
Congresswoman Schwartz: I think you should personally destroy the career hopes of the poor Wolf intern that plagiarized this document and make sure they never serve in that hotbed of integrity, Harrisburg, PA. Let’s get Seth Williams to investigate. Plagiarism would be a new crime in the Capitol.
To: stale/itson/wowee
How many different people are you going to pretend to be? You used to post as “frank,” and in response to this thread alone you have posted under 3 different names: “stale”, “itson”, and “wowee”. Any reader with the common sense of an average high school kid knows you are the same Allyson Schwartz supporter. Are you that desperate that you need to pretend to be 3 different people who support her? You don’t know that the tracks left by your posts reveal that?
Let me make sure I have this correct,
Wolf stands by an admitted racist;
Wolf stands by a convicted elected official;
But Wolf fires a campaign staffer — evading any personal responsibility.
Character, it matters. Wolf does not.
Does wolf have any of his own ideas.I dont think he thought he was gonna be a front runner in this election.It was just released he fired the campaign worker for putting out the fresh start policy.That doesn’t show he is a leader when you blame someone else, he should have known, its his policy.
Schwartz’s campaign is in such poor shape she is resorting to nah-nah..nah-nah..boo-boo……I wish she had had a plan instead of these attempts at ‘gotcha’ moments that amount to nothing..it makes you wonder how effective she is as a member of Congress….glad she doesn’t represent my district! Tell us what makes you deserving of my vote Ms. Schwartz…
Looks like Wolf’s entire campaign has been borrowed and taken from other sources… he is a joke and I hope the people of PA are not fooled. Wake up people!
https://www.politicspa.com/as-house-of-cards-returns-wolf-channels-russo-for-guv/55070/
How many democratic voters are Schwartz and McCord going to alienate with petty and desperate nonsense? The arrogance of the McCord campaign and the aloofness of the Schwartz campaign are now clearly showing they don’t have what it takes to beat a weak Tom Corbett.
Hi politicos i am running for office, and was gonna pitch my new slogan.Four score and seven years ago our fathers…….wait that’s not so original.
How many minutes/hours did it take for Wolf to acknowledge the mistake head on? Schwartz looks like she’s losing and is desperate. 4 paragraphs out of a 40-some page document? Come on…
TOM WOLF A FRESH START LOL.
Schwartz is officially desperate. She won’t win the election and won’t be Guv. Schwartz will finish third behind Wolf and McCord.
I literally know no one who is supporting her. We couldn’t even find a single supporter nor anyone from her campaign to come up to the Lehigh Valley to speak on her behalf at our event this week.
Congrats, Allyson! You’ll be making $300,000 working as a lobbyist for planned parenthood.
Thank God Allyson’s never misspoken, misquoted, or I dunno, blatantly exaggerated her role in crafting a piece of legislation? Paging Allen Kukovich…
http://articles.philly.com/2014-04-09/news/48974669_1_allyson-schwartz-kukovich-chip
shows his ideas are not so fresh,or original,and he is inexperienced in politics.
So, basically, his staffers forgot a footnote.
Therefore, the Queen of Hearts has declared “Off with his head! ”
Allyson is in Neverland (as in, never going to be governor).
Real fresh start wolf, im glad the public is now seeing the real tom wolf.maybe he can steal some of ed rendells great ideas, tax hikes, property relief from gambling.