Election day: Where they stand

Tom Wolf

-Obtained his B.A. from Dartmouth College, his M.A. from the University of London and his Ph.D. from MIT.

-Grew up and resides in York County.

-Served in the Peace Corps for two years doing agricultural and irrigation projects in rural India.

-Returned to the U.S. and worked as a forklift operator at his family’s building product company, which he later owned and operated as a family business with his two cousins. 

-Previously served on an economic development board and on the Pennsylvania Legislative Commission on Urban Schools during Robert Casey’s administration and as the state Secretary for Revenue during Edward Rendell’s administration.

Jobs: 

Wolf supports the creation of jobs through the Marcellus Shale industry and believes the state must invest in manufacturing to attract shale industry opportunities. Wolf plans to institute a cash-back rewards system, through which the state will give cash payments of up to five percent of a manufacturing company’s taxable payroll if it increases its annual taxable payroll by at least $1 million. Wolf also plans to equip high school students for the technical job market by aligning academic curriculum with modern skills and have local manufacturers identify training and skill needs. Wolf also supports increasing minimum wage to $10.10 and raising tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the minimum wage.

Marijuana: 

Wolf supports legalizing medical marijuana, as well as the decriminalization of marijuana of less than an ounce. In terms of recreational marijuana, Wolf feels that Pennsylvania should not consider legalizing marijuana use until the impact of such legalization can be determined in other states, such as Colorado and Washington.

Higher Education: 

Wolf supports designing state programs to support veterans, such as the creation of veteran support centers at state-funded colleges and universities, and grating in-state tuition rates to all veterans. Wolf also supports creating a “Deserving Scholars” program, in which high-achieving students from low-income families will receive higher education information packets and up to six waivers for application fees to state-associated schools.

Wolf says raising tuition costs should be a last resort in addressing higher education budget costs. He plans to reverse Governor Corbett’s budget cuts and develop a five-year funding plan, develop challenge grants to give schools incentives to trim costs and reduce Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s costs and develop a plan to lower and subsidize student loan interest rates using Marcellus Shale extraction fees.

Equal Rights: 

Wolf plans to implement a state anti-discrimination law to make sexual orientation and gender identity and expression a protected class, meaning citizens would be protected under law against discrimination — particularly in pay disparities. Wolf also plans to establish a minimum percentage of government contracts that the state should award to women, minority and disabled-owned businesses. 

Wolf supports the state ruling on same-sex marriage, and he personally thanked Attorney General Kathleen Kane for not defending the ban in federal court. 

Liquor Privatization: 

Wolf does not support liquor privatization, and he supports using revenues to fund programs for the elderly and in-state students.