Corbett plunges into public fight for pension bill

Gov. Tom Corbett is using the resources of his office and his campaign to press for legislation to curb future public pension costs by paring back benefits.

The campaign issued robocalls over the weekend, while Corbett’s office lined up public events beginning Monday in suburban Pittsburgh to discuss pension legislation.

In the robocall, the Republican governor criticizes the Republican-controlled Legislature for sending him a budget “loaded with perks and earmarks,” and then warns of property tax increases without passage of pension legislation.

Top Republican lawmakers have heavily criticized Corbett after he blocked funding for part of the Legislature’s operating budget and some other projects picked by lawmakers.

It’s not unusual for governors and lawmakers to gripe about each other, but the intra-GOP battle is erupting just four months before the election.