Wolf's first budget faces infighting in Harrisburg

Standing in the Capitol like a frustrated teacher unable to control an unruly class, Gov. Wolf exclaimed: "I want to get to work. Let's cut out the stunts."

The Republican-controlled House had just shot down his entire budget proposal in a Monday test vote, kicking off a critical month of budget negotiations and so far Wolf's roughest week.

It included the state's Independent Fiscal Office stating that Wolf's proposed natural gas drilling tax - a cornerstone of his budget plan - would become one of the nation's highest, a finding Republicans trumpeted and Wolf disputed.

A GOP-led Senate committee also refused to recommend the most controversial of Wolf's cabinet picks, acting State Police Commissioner Marcus Brown.

His nomination could end up before the full Senate as soon as Monday. And it could become one of the many variables likely to influence budget negotiations, including the perennially cash-strapped Philadelphia School District.

How Wolf navigates the roughening waters in Harrisburg could foreshadow his abilities as an executive, observers say, and set the tone of his relationship with one of the most conservative Pennsylvania legislatures in recent history.

"We're coming to the point where we're going to see just how good of a political figure Gov. Wolf is," said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. "He's right in the middle of a major test. And the test right now in a lot of ways is how he responds behind the scenes as much as he does in public statements. And in his conversations with Republicans behind the scenes, are there openings for movement?"

At the end of the week, both Wolf and the Republican leadership continued to stand by their agendas.

With the state facing a budget shortfall of more than $1 billion, Wolf is pushing an ambitious spending plan that would bolster education spending while replacing the long-standing dependence on property taxes with increases in income and sales taxes.

"Gov. Wolf has three very simple priorities," said Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan: "Funding schools with a reasonable severance tax [on natural gas drilling], eliminating the deficit, and reducing property taxes."

Republican lawmakers have serious concerns about Wolf's proposed tax increases. They also want to make changes to the state pension system, allow Internet gambling in Pennsylvania, and privatize or at least "modernize" state-run liquor stores.

Jennifer Kocher, spokeswoman for the Senate Republicans, said that Wolf's proposed tax increases lack support in the chamber and that negotiations are necessary.

"The way that this process works is that we in the Senate are going to have to vote for things we don't necessarily agree with - and he's going to have to sign things he doesn't necessarily agree with," Kocher added. "The hope is that he's going to realize that and work with us to move forward."

Wolf has been meeting with leaders of both parties behind closed doors, and the number of backroom meetings will increase before the June 30 budget deadline.

Few political observers expect lawmakers to have approved a spending plan by then.

"We've had years of on-time budgets, and they sucked," Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Philadelphia) said Thursday in a meeting with The Inquirer's editorial board.

Hughes said staffs from House and Senate caucuses were discussing budget details beneath the clamor of politics. But the Capitol has appeared starkly divided since lawmakers returned to Harrisburg last week.

The strife began almost immediately.

House Republicans on Monday introduced a spending measure they said would serve as a placeholder during budget negotiations. The bill angered Democrats because it failed to include Wolf's proposed spending increases for public schools and other programs and departments.

The Democrats moved to amend the bill to include Wolf's funding proposal. The Republicans countered by also adding all of Wolf's proposed tax increases.

In the end, both Democrats and Republicans scuttled the measure.

Republicans cited the vote as proof that Wolf's budget lacks support. Wolf and his fellow Democrats wrote it off as political gimmickry.

The tension resurfaced Wednesday at the confirmation hearing for Brown, the acting State Police commissioner. He left without an endorsement, and his fate remained uncertain.

He could become a bargaining chip, if he isn't already, as both sides push their agendas.

"We're just seeing the opening bids in this game," said Fletcher McClellan, professor and chair of the political science department at Elizabethtown College.

"Wolf has projected this sunny optimistic and professorial image, but he's going to have to reveal himself at some point as a savvy politician and let the partisan dog out," McClellan said. "We'll see how good a poker player he is."

bfinley@phillynews.com

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