Tom Corbett

HARRISBURG - The administration of Republican Gov. Tom Corbett should be ordered to stop "misinformation" over whether voters must show photo identification on Election Day and to clearly broadcast the message that a photo ID is not required, civil-rights lawyers told a state court on Friday. The lawyers' filing came 18 days before the Nov. 6 election and almost three weeks after Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson halted the photo ID requirement over concerns that some people would be unable to get valid photo IDs allowing them to vote and, as a result, would be disenfranchised.

In 2000, as Pennsylvania closed staffed, face-to-face unemployment offices, the Ridge administration aimed to make government user-friendly and "friction-free. " The move saved the state $3 million at a time when unemployment rates had plunged. Allowing the jobless to file online and by phone seemed well-intentioned. No longer would needy people waste precious time waiting in long lines. As the recession slammed the state in 2008, the Rendell administration hired scads of customer-service workers and expanded hotline hours to keep up with the deluge.

REGARDING Catherine Lucey's article on Thursday (Sept. 27) regarding Gov. Corbett's popularity, I think it has gone underreported that Tom Corbett almost single handedly rescued the Delaware River channel-deepening project from further delays and possible oblivion by his timely action, which provided upfront financing. This allowed time for bipartisan congressional support to develop, which ultimately secured the necessary federal funding. From the start, Gov. Corbett recognized the potential of the working waterfront, and brought to fruition seeds for success planted by Gov. Ed Rendell and other leaders who knew that a shallow channel would condemn Philadelphia to minor status in the movement of critical cargoes.

When he was running for governor two years ago, Tom Corbett's position papers said he would provide "an open, transparent, accountable and trustworthy government. " So why did it take two weeks for the Corbett administration to acknowledge a $75,000 contract in the voter ID case, awarded to a Philadelphia law firm that had helped his campaign? Despite its public commitment to transparency, the administration is not answering questions about its contract with the law firm Drinker, Biddle & Reath.

IT MYSTIFIES ME that the Daily News can allow a staff member to run an online campaign to impeach Gov. Corbett and then assign that staffer to a news story on an administration policy. How can a newspaper allow such an unmistakable conflict of interest? Will Bunch has forfeited any claim to be taken seriously as an objective and disinterested observer on any matter connected with the Corbett administration. Simply put, Bunch has crossed the line between reporter and activist.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE a Tom makes! Gov. Tom Corbett, in his second year in office, isn't getting the kind of attention at the GOP convention that Gov. Tom Ridge did in his second year in office in 1996. Corbett heads the state delegation in Tampa as Ridge did at Bob Dole's convention in San Diego. But Corbett isn't speaking at this convention. Ridge spoke at that one. In fact, Ridge was on a short-list to be Dole's running mate (Dole ultimately picked Jack Kemp). Corbett?

Louis Freeh's report on Penn State and the Jerry Sandusky case is notable partly for a criticism that it doesn't make: The former FBI director found no fault with Tom Corbett's handling of the criminal probe that ultimately brought down the serial child predator. That's because Corbett got it right. Some of the commentary that followed last week's release of the report accused the governor and former attorney general of sitting on his hands by not arresting Sandusky after the first victim came forward.

I think we're seeing a slow rollout of Tom Corbett 2.0. The Republican guv, uncharacteristically, is suddenly pushing publicly for what he wants — specifically, the Shell petrochemical plant in western Pennsylvania and human-services block grants for counties.   He's done this in both cases with well-organized, high-visibility Capitol news conferences; at each, he was flanked by dozens of supporters, including some Democrats. This approach is new. Corbett's been criticized, even by allies, for not forcefully leading, especially on GOP agenda items including school vouchers and liquor privatization.

After a year and a half as governor, he already was being mocked by his Harrisburg foes as "One-Term Tom. " How could he possibly get reelected? He was at odds with fellow Republicans in the legislature, unable to get his major programs passed. A Keystone Poll showed that just 35 percent of voters viewed him favorably. The year was 1996, and the governor was Tom Ridge. Today, another Tom - Tom Corbett - sits in the governor's office. He too has had difficulty with his own GOP. His poll numbers have slipped to where Ridge's were at a comparable point.

Relax, Philadelphia! Gov. Corbett's got this. Sure, those dire headlines and the protests in the street might lead you to think city schools are careering down a seemingly endless fiscal mine shaft. But thanks to an update this week on Corbett's Twitter feed, we now know otherwise: "the number one priority in the #pabudget is education. " The most remarkable thing about this statement is that, technically, it's true. Corbett's otherwise parsimonious budget does include a minuscule increase in K-12 funding (higher ed, not so much)