The campaign trail ran through Centre County on Wednesday for gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, who spoke at an annual event hosted by the Penn Ag Democrats.
Wolf, a democrat originally from York County, told the crowd of supporters at the annual picnic that he was “an unconventional candidate” for governor. His resume includes a stint as Pennsylvania’s secretary of the Department of Revenue, time overseas in the Peace Corps and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among other qualifications.
“I’m a different candidate,” Wolf said. “And I think that’s exactly what we need right now.”
Wolf told the crowd – which featured prominent local democrats such as Jay Paterno and State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham – that his unique past has equipped him with the tools to serve Pennsylvania as governor.
After spending time in academia, Wolf returned to York and began driving forklifts for his family’s business, a building materials company. Working his way through the ranks, he eventually purchased the company in 1985 with two business partners.
Though he sold the business in 2006 to work in Harrisburg, he returned to the company after the 2008 recession left The Wolf Organization, Inc. hurdling towards bankruptcy.
Rather than let that happen, he reinvested in the company and helped shape into one of the country’s top suppliers of cabinets and building materials. Having “grown up with those folks,” Wolf said he felt a moral obligation to his former employees.
“The reason I’m telling you this story is this: Everything I’ve learned in my life has reaffirmed the values I think we all share,” Wolf said. “In the real world, fairness counts. It’s not just something we talk about come election time.”
Wolf then turned his attention to policy, attacking the idea that government and the free market should have as little interaction as possible. He reminded the crowd of former United States President Ronald Regan’s famous quote that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
This ideology, which Wolf said has been evident in Pennsylvania through the Corbett administration, ignores the importance of public goods like highways, transportation and education. As a businessman, Wolf said he believes that “there is a strong role for government in a healthy economy.”
“The market needs public goods,” Wolf said. “You need a strong, healthy public sector partnership, and I think Pennsylvania is the perfect lab for that.”
State Representative Scott Conklin, who attended the event, says that the middle of the state presents a unique challenge for Wolf with its diverse mix of Republicans, Democrats and independents. Despite this, Conklin says Wolf can appeal to a wide range of voters and stressed the importance of reaching independents.
Greg Stewart, chairman of the Centre County Democratic Committee, says Centre County is “a good microcosm of the state as a whole.” Given his time as a businessman, Stewart feels Wolf has the chance to appeal to some conservative voters other candidates may not have been able to reach.
The Centre County Republican Committee could not be reached for comment, nor could the office of Governor Tom Corbett.
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