Corbett avoids final-round KO vs. Onorato

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato entered the final debate of the race for governor last night looking for a knockout punch to drop state Attorney General Tom Corbett.

He didn't land it.

Onorato, the Democratic nominee, sparred frequently with Corbett, his front-running Republican opponent, but the two men fell back just as often to positions they have been talking about for months.

Onorato complained about "crazy attack ads" on television while Corbett acknowledged "a lot of rancor out there" but denied having any role in it.

The two men clashed the most on two key issues - one very present on the minds of voters in Philadelphia while the other seems as remote as the town of Dimock in Susquehanna County.

On the regulation of guns, Onorato repeated his complaints that Corbett as attorney general did not end the "Florida loophole" practice of allowing state residents to apply and receive permits to carry concealed weapons from the Sunshine State.

Corbett said Florida's procedures are just as strict as those in Pennsylvania, adding that he does not see the need for any new state laws regulating guns. "It's the enforcement of the existing laws that we have to follow through on," he said.

Onorato and Corbett also disagreed strongly on whether to tax the drilling of the Marcellus Shale, a massive deposit of natural gas under much of the state but not southeastern Pennsylvania.

Onorato would tax the industry but limit use of the cash to the Department of Environmental Protection, an impact fund for municipalities with drilling to repair water and sewer lines, and a fund to preserve open land.

"This is no time to take an extreme stance like Tom is taking and make us the only state without an extraction tax," Onorato warned.

Corbett, who has received $7 in campaign contributions for every $1 raised by Onorato, claims a tax could scare away companies and the jobs that they would bring.

"We are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas if we develop it right," Corbett said. "A tax right now I don't believe is appropriate."

Gaffe-prone Corbett - who has stumbled at times with comments on jobs, taxes and federal health-care reform - needed last night to avoid giving Onorato ammunition for the last two weeks of the campaign.

Onorato, trailing Corbett in the polls and in cash, was looking to somehow stagger the Republican. He is hoping his nonstop campaigning in vote-rich southeastern Pennsylvania will help him overcome Corbett's strong name recognition across the state.

But the latest Daily News/Franklin & Marshall College Poll shows Corbett with enthusiasm on his side, with 41 percent of Republicans declaring themselves likely to vote, compared with just 31 percent of Democrats.

Onorato twice accused Corbett of shifting his answers depending on the audience. But as with other debates, the two candidates often seemed closer on the issues than they would have voters believe.

On property taxes, both said that they would consider a long-lingering legislative proposal to do away with them in favor of an expanded sales tax. But they didn't commit.

On using public school funds for private-school tuition, both said that they would allow it but split on the details. Onorato would create a limited fund for low-income students in failing schools while Corbett would allow them for all students in failing schools.

On abortion, both candidates spoke about their Roman Catholic faith but disagreed on how that would impact the issue. Onorato said that he would veto any attempt to change the state's abortion law while Corbett said he supports the law as written but would sign any effort to make it more restrictive.