Conservative Group Outlines Issues for New Governor

The Allegheny Institute is publishing a report that outlines eight critical areas in Allegheny County and Pennsylvania that the new administration in Harrisburg will have to take up next year. Senior Policy Analyst Eric Montarti says here in the city and county they've included the Port Authority's funding crisis, the expiring Act 47 oversight for Pittsburgh and Chapter 9 Municipal bankruptcy on their list of issues. Statewide, Montarti says public safety and collective bargaining, property assessments and mandated wages for firms receiving government assistance are all problematic. He says teacher strikes are an ongoing problem as well, "We're all too familiar with strikes this year. Very long strike in Bethel Park, we had one in Allegheny Valley, one in Moon, there could be other ones. Pennsylvania is consistently the leader in teacher strikes. It's one of the very few states that even permits teacher strikes and out of that very small group Pennsylvania consistently leads the nation in the number of strikes." Montarti says governor-elect Tom Corbett will have his hands full when he gets into office, especially with a budget deficit as federal stimulus money runs dry. But he says the report, which outlines their research and recommendations for moving forward, is a road map for making Pennsylvania economically stable. More information is available at alleghenyinstitute.org.