Sorry, I’ve been lax with this, too. Last week, I met up with Dan Onorato, Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Pa. Here’s the story and sidebar …
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato used his tour of an Energy Coordinating Agency green-jobs training facility in Kensington yesterday to highlight the point that his race against Tom Corbett is about one focal issue: Job creation. Creating a “Pennsylvania Green Jobs Corps” weatherization workforce could make Pennsylvania a national leader in attracting green businesses while helping residents lower their energy bills, he said.
The ECA has also extended a tour invitation to Corbett, who Onorato claimed opposes two multi-million dollar energy-related projects in Allentown and Pittsburgh.
“The need for energy efficiency and conservation is not going away,” Onorato said. “People realize it makes good business sense. These are the jobs of the future. I’ll use what I’ve seen here throughout the campaign to talk about the need for training and public/private partnerships.”
After the tour, Onorato also sat down for a one-on-one interview with Metro. It touched on:
— An ideological gap between the candidates and supporters who have Corbett up 10 points in the latest poll (It exists on everything from health-care to accepting federal stimulus dollars but “this is a practical race about jobs. That’s what people care about.”),
— His take on Gov. Chris Christie’s approach (“Everybody has to re-evaluate, rethink government, and that’s going to happen if I’m elected . restructured top to bottom so it’s a government we can afford.” Much of his focus is on consolidating “all these little fiefdoms.”),
— The Marcellus Shale issue (He said permits for drilling should be issued, adding “They’re talking 80,000 jobs and the government should demand those jobs go to our residents.”) And,
— The importance of Philadelphia in a race between two candidates from the other side of the state. (“It’s a 67-county race and Philadelphia is one of those 67, but there’s a reason I come here up to three or four times a week.”)
Sidebar:
The ECA is a public-private partnership that aims to “help develop a sustainable and equitable energy future for the Philadelphia region.” Its 18,000 square foot Knight Green Jobs Training Center has trained 646 people since its March opening. Another 700 expected this year to qualify to work in the federally-funded Weatherization Assistance Program. Training director Walter Yakabosky told Onorato they’ve received a grant that will lead to centers in Pittsburgh and central Pennsylvania.
Weatherization money also played into today’s story about a project to upgrade every last traffic light in Philly without using a cent of city money.