Clout: Will Corbett look east for his Lt. Guv pick?

RUNNING FOR governor of Pennsylvania can be a tricky geographical balancing act.

A front-runner like state Attorney General Tom Corbett, with a Republican political base in Allegheny County, may be tempted to look east to this side of the state for a lieutenant governor.

He won't have a problem finding candidates hoping to hitch their wagons to his campaign.

Joe Watkins, pastor of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, in North Philly, and a frequent political commentator on MSNBC, filed paperwork last week to launch a campaign committee.

Watkins, who lost a 1994 primary election for the U.S. Senate to Rick Santorum, predicts that Corbett will be the GOP nominee.

"I support him strongly," Watkins said of Corbett.

All that name recognition from television appearances - Watkins has stopped his MSNBC work due to his impending candidacy - should come in handy. But Watkins is not the only person with a well-known name looking to be Corbett's No. 2.

City Councilman Frank Rizzo, who also hopes to fill that role, praises Watkins as a "fine young man" with a bright political future. But not just yet, he said.

"This is not the kind of position that you push your way into," Rizzo said. "You really have to be embraced by the state GOP. I think I would offer more than Watkins to Corbett and the GOP."

Watkins was diplomatic, calling Rizzo a "formidable" candidate with a strong family legacy.

Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele and Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley also hope to ticket up with Corbett in runs for lieutenant governor.

Casino investor to regulator

Ken Trujillo, a former city solicitor, had a good chuckle this week when Clout asked if his appointment by Gov. Rendell to the state Gaming Control Board was the best kind of casino revenge.

Trujillo was an investor in Riverwalk, a proposed casino at Delaware Avenue and Spring Garden Street rejected in 2006 by the very board he now joins.

That experience, Trujillo said, will allow him to bring something different to the board that no other member has had so far.

"I spent an enormous amount of time and effort and energy over the course of 18 months, both as an applicant in the vetting process and working with community groups on our agreements," Trujillo said. "I think all of that experience should be helpful."

Trujillo replaces Sanford Rivers, of Pittsburgh, a former college official and NFL referee, who was one of the board's original appointees in 2004. The part-time post pays $145,000 per year.

Wagner's host headache

Timing can be cruel in politics when fundraisers on the opposite side of the state take months to plan and organize. That's a lesson that state Auditor General Jack Wagner, an Allegheny County Democrat, learned Monday at a fundraiser in Philadelphia for his campaign for governor.

The invitation listed Tony Forte, president of United Aerospace Workers Local 1069 in Delaware County, as a member of the fundraiser host committee.

Forte, six days earlier, pleaded guilty in federal court to running an illegal kickback scheme that skimmed $105,000 in fees for loans from a credit union.

Wagner, who was clearly unhappy to be asked about Forte this week, said that the union leader did not attend the fundraiser. Wagner said that he asked people months ago to serve as hosts.

Forte was indicted by the feds in September 2008.

"What took place was in the last few days, to the best of my knowledge," Wagner said of Forte's guilty plea.

Quotable:

"Oh, no question, President Obama. For the very simple reason that President Bush would always leave around 9:30 to go to bed. President Obama stays and parties."

- Gov. Rendell, explaining this week which president throws the better White House state dinner.

Staff writer Bob Warner contributed to this report.

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