Onorato questions Corbett’s record on spending

    Gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato says his opponent Tom Corbett doesn’t have a record of cutting costs. He points to an earlier Corbett request for budget increases in his office as attorney general.

    In the race for governor in Pennsylvania, Republican Tom Corbett is positioning himself as someone who can cut government spending. Now his Democratic opponent Dan Onorato is saying that Corbett’s track record as the state’s Attorney General shows he’s for more spending.

    Corbett’s latest commercial lays out his lower spending philosophy.

    “But how about, instead of raising taxes, we cut the wasteful spending we know is there?” the commercial asks Onorato. “Like $45 million Harrisburg spent renovating your office building? Or $40,000 spent just to move a statue from the governor’s mansion?”

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    But Corbett fought against a proposed one percent reduction to his office’s budget this winter – and has asked for spending hikes during every budget season. He told a state Senate committee budget cuts would hurt the Office of the Attorney General’s ability to fight crime.

    “I could see, without scaring everyone in my office, I could see that the effort on diversion might be reduced so we could focus more on the violent street gangs that are dealing drugs,” Corbett said.

    The office’s funding was ultimately cut by two million dollars, after an eight percent cut in last year’s budget.

    A spokesman says Corbett requested increased funding in order to pay for union-mandated salary increases beyond his control.

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