Gov. Rendell’s job-approval rating is still dismally low, but he has seen a slight uptick in his popularity since a tentative budget deal was announced two weeks ago, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.

Only 42 percent of those surveyed said they approve of how Rendell is handling his job as governor – three percentage points higher than when the university last polled Keystone Staters in mid July.

“Gov. Ed Rendell remains at the low ebb of his governorship when it comes to public opinion, perhaps not surprising given the lengthy budget stalemate,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

About one in four, or 26 percent, approved of his handling of the state budget. And Pennsylvanians also dislike the $28 billion budget deal put together three months late by the governor and legislative leaders.

Only 31 percent of voters approve of the agreement, while 37 percent disapprove and 31 percent aren’t sure, the poll found.

When asked who is to blame for the impasse, more people believe it was Rendell, 27 percent, than Republicans in the legislature, 21 percent.

But one component of the budget – allowing table games at casinos – got a resounding thumbs up. By an overwhelming 67 – 27 percent margin, Pennsylvanians said they backed the idea as a way to increase revenue for the state.

Rendell has said repeatedly that his popularity doesn’t matter to him since he is term limited, cannot run for governor again and plans to call his political career over when he leaves office in January 2011.

Meantime, the poll found that Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican, is best known among potential candidates to replace Rendell.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28. It surveyed 1,100 Pennsylvanians and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
 

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Camille “Bud” George, the plain-talking state representative from Clearfield County, has never been one to mince words.

Through closed doors today, he could be heard scolding his fellow House Democrats as they caucused at the Capitol for the first time on details of a tentative budget their leaders agreed to 11 days ago.

George, whose legislative tenure dates back to the 1970s, stormed out of that meeting, but let his colleagues have it again when a reporter asked him to recap what he had just said in private.

“Shame on these legislators who are shirking their responsibilities. We ought to do what is right and pass the budget now,” he said. “Both Republicans and Democrats have an obligation to get a budget done, and if they can’t make their point by a certain time, then they shouldn’t be here.”

Today marks the 91st day Pennsylvania has operated without a compete budget – the only state in the nation still without one in place.

George supports Gov. Rendell’s come-and-gone proposal to fill the state’s budget hole by temporarily increasing the personal income tax by 16 percent.

And he ripped his colleagues for not supporting an excise tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars.

“Which of these legislators have ever bought their own cigars. They don’t smoke them if someone doesn’t give them to them first,” he joked.

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If you are a reader of Commonwealth Confidential, chances are that you are political savvy and already are registered to vote.

But, we also remember what our mother told us about ASSUMING anything. So, we are sharing this public service reminder from the good people at the Pennsylvania Department of State:

Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés today reminded all eligible Pennsylvanians that the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 municipal election is Monday, Oct. 5.

“I encourage all eligible residents to register to vote and to take an active role in shaping the future of their communities and our state,” Cortés said. “To find registration materials and to prepare for this important municipal election, please visit the Department of State’s voter education Web site, VotesPA.com.”

The municipal election, the press release continued, will feature a variety of local and county races, as well as candidates for supreme, superior, common pleas and municipal court seats.

To be eligible to register to vote in Pennsylvania, you must be:
• a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election;
• a resident of Pennsylvania and of the election district in which you want to register and vote for at least 30 days before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election; and
• at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

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HARRISBURG - Gov. Rendell today gave legislative leaders a Sunday deadline to deliver to him an approved state budget to sign.

"We need to bring this to a conclusion," said Rendell at a news conference this afternoon after a meeting with House and Senate leaders at the Governor's Mansion.

Rendell said counties, municipalities and non-profit groups are struggling to make ends meet in the absence of state funding.

Ten days ago, Rendell and Democratic legislative leaders, joined by Senate Republicans, announced a handshake agreement to end the state's three-month-old budget impasse. But details on the $27.9 billion deal promised at that time have not yet emerged and Rendell wants to see legislature work through the week and the weekend if necessary to get the fine-tuning on the budget completed.

Rendell's deadline order comes as growing discontent among factions of rank-and-file lawmakers which oppose various revenue-generating options. Some are opposed to expanded natural gas drilling on state land. Some are against a tax on small games of chance. Others are dead-set against a tax on arts events.

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Attorney General Tom Corbett and the Humane Society of the United States are hoping a little cash will help crack down on dog fighting in Pennsylvania.

Corbett and several animal welfare groups on Monday will announce a program to reward tipsters up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone engaging in dog fighting or the fighting of other animals, according to a press advisory that will be released tomorrow.

A Corbett spokesman said the effort is not specifically related to the arrival of Michael Vick in Philadelphia, but is part of HSUS's national anti-dog fighting campaign. Vick, who admitted to torturing dogs as part of a fighting ring, is working with HSUS as part of his rehabilitation.

The Pennsylvania SPCA says there has been a surge in the number of dog fighting cases in Philadelphia. Last year the Allegheny County District Attorney's office estimated there are as many as 8,000 dog fighting rings throughout Pennsylvania.

The press conference will be held at 11 a.m. at Corbett's Philadelphia office on Essington Ave. Also on hand will be dogs saved from fighting rings.

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A group of Democratic lawmakers and environmentalists say the current budget proposal that calls for reductions in funding and increased gas exploration on state land would cause irreparable environmental harm.

The proposal, agreed upon by three of the four legislative caucuses and Gov. Rendell would "put revenue ahead of science" by opening up an additional 250,000 acres of state land to gas leasing and would compel the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to generate revenue at the expense of land protection, said Rep. David Levdansky (D., Allegheny).

"The damages and consequences will haunt us forever," he said. "It sacrifices the integrity of the state forest by tying DCNR's hands."

The lawmakers, who are pushing budget negotiators to reconsider their proposal, said they also oppose the planned elimination of the state's Oil and Gas Fund, which supports state parks, and the reduction in the Department of Environmental Protection budget by 25 percent.

At the same time, they said, the state is allowing multi-billion gas companies off the hook by not imposing a tax on natural gas extraction in the lucrative Marcellus Shale deposit.

The Marcellus Shale formation is a rich, underground natural gas reserve that runs from the northeast to the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania.

About 660,000 acres of the 1.5 million acres of state forest land in the Marcellus Shale region has already being made available for drilling. Estimates suggest a tax on the extraction of natural gas would generate as much as $600 million in five years.

Jan Jarrett, president of PennFuture, a statewide environmental advocacy group, said the proposal helps only the natural gas industry.

"To add insult to injury, this proposal hands over public lands to the natural gas industry," she said. "This budget deal is not in the public interest."

Rep. Greg Vitali (D., Delaware) said he is angry that DEP budget is being slashed and that hundreds of people risk losing jobs as a result.

"Under this budget agreement as we understand it, DEP's budget would fall from $229 million to $173 million," Vitali said. "DEP's programs have already been cut, including the black fly and West Nile virus programs. The Keystone Help Energy Program cut half of its 1,500 contractors as of August, and the entire program will close in December."

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There could be Southeast showdown in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor next year.

Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley says he's forming an exploratory committee to seek the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2010.

Cawley, in a press release today, touted his record of reform and cost saving measures he has helped implement during five years in county government.

“ I have high goals for Pennsylvania: restore public trust in Harrisburg, bring innovation to state government so that it works for the people and create economic growth so that our children can find good paying career sustaining jobs in our Commonwealth,” Cawley said.

Earlier this month, state Rep. Tom Killion (R., Delaware) announced he was putting together an exploratory committee for the race.

Between 2001 and 2004, Cawley was an associate with the law firm of Rudolph, Pizzo and Clarke LLC, and served as chief of staff to state Sen. Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson.

Cawley has adovocated for open space preservation and recycling programs and helped expand Bucks County Community College. Cawley sits on the boards of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Delaware Valley Regional Finance Authority.

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Gov. Rendell and legislative leaders are expected to announced tonight that they have reached an agreement on a $28 billion state spending plan.

The governor has scheduled a Capitol press briefing for 8 p.m.

“It’s good news,” Rendell told the Patriot-News of Harrisburg as he was leaving the Capitol at 5:30 p.m. “It’s not the budget I would have chosen, but it fits my two markers.”

Details of the budget, which is now 80 days passed due, were not immediatley known.
 

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Former U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel, now a Montgomery County comissioner, leads several announced candidates for governor among likely voters in the 2010 Democratic primary, a recent statewide poll found.

The survey also found that the Democratic governor's race is up for grabs - as would be expected this early in the campaign - with half the electorate undecided. In addition, 50 percent of Democrats labeled themselves liberal, compared to 29 percent who described themselves as moderate and 17 percent who said they were conservative.

"The real importance is it shows strong support for progressive ideas and policies," Hoeffel said. "I have sensed a vacuum in the gubernatorial race, a lack of a liberal voice, and the poll confirms that."

He said he was moving forward with an exploratory campaign, raising money and building an organization. In 2004, Hoeffel was the Democratic nominee for Senate, losing to then-Republican-now-Democrat Arlen Specter.

Hoeffel was supported by 15 percent of the poll's respondents, while Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and state Sen. Jack Wagner (D.,Allegheny) each got 12 percent - a lead for Hoeffel within the polls 3.5-percentage-point margin of error. Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty drew 6 percent support, and Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox had 5 percent.

Onorato and Wagner oppose abortion rights, and Hoeffel thinks he has an opening as an unabashed liberal on social issues. (Doherty and Knox also support abortion rights.)

Moreover, the survey found a strong regional base for Hoeffel in the Philadelphia suburbs, where he has high name recognition after years in public office there. Hoeffel own 41 percent of the vote in the four suburban counties, while Wagner had 8 percent, Knox 7 percent, Onorato 3 percent and Doherty 2 percent.

With Philadelphia added in, the race stood: Hoeffel 30 percent, Knox 10 percent; Wagner 6 percent; Doherty at 4 percent and Onorato at 3 percent.

The survey was conducted for Hoeffel by the respected polling firm of Lake Research Partners. From Sept. 8-13,  800 registered Democrats who told interviewers they were likely to vote in the primary next year were surveyed by telephone.

"I was very encouraged," Hoeffel said.