Gov. Corbett welcomes citizens to his new home

HARRISBURG - Gov. Corbett opened up his new official residence to the public Sunday, shaking hands and making small talk with hundreds of people who lined up to meet him and wish him good luck as governor.

Corbett, together with his wife, Susan, and Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley and his family, met with members of the public for three hours inside the 28,600-square-foot governor's residence as a cellist and pianist played classical music in the background.

Corbett, who took the oath of office six days ago, said his new, and spacious, surroundings were far different from what he was used to. He said he'd never lived in a house with more than 11/2 closets.

The residence has 32 rooms, according to the official website.

"Now, there's a closet practically in every room," Corbett joked as a gaggle of television cameras followed him from room to room. "It's a different lifestyle."

His favorite space inside the house, he said, is his study, where he said he would spend most of his time.

"I can get work done in here," Corbett said. "You can close the door, turn on some music, and really get some reading done."

And he will have quite a bit of reading to do.

Aside from hundreds of pages of transition reports left to him by former Gov. Ed Rendell, Corbett will have to construct a budget that solves a projected deficit of more than $4 billion. His budget address is scheduled for March 8.