Corbett: Education adviser not a ‘ghost employee’

Gov. Tom Corbett says his special adviser for higher education is “not a ghost employee.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Corbett defended Ron Tomalis to reporters after an event in York County on Friday.

Tomalis, a former state education secretary, has been making $140,000 per year as a special adviser. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Sunday that records concerning Tomalis include a work calendar with weeks of little or no activity, phone logs barely averaging a call a day and five outgoing emails.

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Corbett says his acting education secretary is satisfied with Tomalis’s job performance and so is he. Acting Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq has said Tomalis works 40 hours a week and she sees him regularly at the office.

GOP state Sen. Mike Folmer of Lebanon County has called for an inquiry into whether Tomalis is doing his job.

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