In a conference call with media on Thursday, Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and Transition Steering Committee Chair John Fry said they are in the final stages of vetting agency transition committee members and should be in a position to name them in seven to 10 days.
Members of the Transition Steering Committee will be assigned agencies and oversee agency transition committees that will be asking what the most pressing issues are for each agency and ways they can be addressed. The goal is to have agency reports delivered before the inauguration.
As a point of comparison, Gov. Corbett named 400 member agency transition teams on November 30, 2010.
As a point of comparison, Gov. Corbett named 400 member agency transition teams on November 30, 2010.
When asked about the potential for a lame duck session in January before he takes office, Wolf said he will be inaugurated Governor on January 20 and he does not controls things between now and then.
“I know there are challenges because we have different ideas about how to address the challenges that face Pennsylvania. We ran an election campaign and the voters decided which one they wanted. I am going to hit the ground running on January 20th,” said Wolf. “I am going to do my best to promote the goals and ideas that I think people support in my election. I am very hopeful the Governor will recognize the voters of Pennsylvania voted for a change. I cannot predict what he is going to do and I cannot predict what will happen in the intervening two months, but I believe there are a lot of people of goodwill in Harrisburg who are all going to work together after January 20th to make Pennsylvania better.”
On the types of people Wolf said he was looking for to fill his cabinet he said, “As I said during the campaign, I want to have an administration that reflects the diversity of the population of Pennsylvania.
“First of all, I want really good qualified people who are inspired to serve the Commonwealth. In my charging presentation this morning to the steering committee I talked about three things: policy expertise in the areas I think are important, education, infrastructure, natural resources.
“Second I want people who are inspired to do great things for Pennsylvania who actually see some virtue in Pennsylvania. We are serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and not any other state. We have some remarkable virtues and I want people who are wise to those virtues.
“And third, I want to see people themselves as stewards of a grand democratic tradition. I am not just looking for technocrats. I am looking for people who are confident and recognize the role they have to play in sustaining and nurturing and growing our democracy. Those are three things I am looking for and I think those are the three things the steering committee under President Fry is looking for.”
Wolf did not give a timetable for naming agency heads, but said he would name them when he was ready. He did say keeping some cabinet members from the Corbett Administration was on the table, but did not elaborate.
Both Wolf and Fry highlighted the work of the Transition’s Budget Deficit and Fiscal Stabilization Task Force saying they have five goals--
— Providing a historical report on the budget;
— Analyzing the Commonwealth’s current financial position;
— Identifying the most compelling challenges and opportunities from a fiscal perspective;
— Identifying potential budget issues facing the Commonwealth; and
— Exploring policies to grow jobs and revitalize the Commonwealth’s economy.
For more information, visit the Wolf Transition website.
NewsClip: Wolf Talks Cabinet, Lame Duck Legislature, Transition
