By Kevin Zwick
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire
HARRISBURG (Feb. 28) – A call from State Treasurer Rob McCord to immediately increase the minimum wage higher to nearly $11 an hour drew a rebuke during a Friday night debate from a little-known candidate who said it would hurt small businesses.
McCord said if elected governor he would work to immediately increase the minimum wage to $10.70 an hour, a higher rate than the $10.10 supported by President Obama on the federal level and other Democrats running for governor are supporting.
But Lebanon County Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz said while the minimum wage should be increased, it should be done incrementally as such a jolt would disrupt small businesses, a line echoed by GOP-aligned small business and chamber of commerce organizations.
“If you do it all at once, you’re going to bankrupt small businesses,” Litz said in rebuttal during a debate Friday night hosted by Keystone Progress, the state’s largest liberal organization, here at the Hilton Harrisburg. McCord disagreed, citing reports that said it wouldn’t have that impact.
“Walmart and McDonald’s can afford this – let’s make them pay,” he said.
The minimum wage is a policy issue being propelled to the forefront by Democrats on the state and federal level to contrast with Republicans and their chamber of commerce allies who oppose increases. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
McCord’s proposal doesn’t have much support from the public. While favoring an increase of the minimum wage, only 14 percent of those who support increasing the minimum wage believe it should be higher than $10.10 an hour, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll. Forty-eight percent of poll respondents said a minimum wage increase would help the economy, while 30 percent said it would hurt the economy, and 19 percent said it wouldn’t affect the economy, according to the poll.
The debate covered several areas near and dear to the hundreds of liberal activists in the room, including gas drilling, healthcare, campaign finance reform and corrections reform.
Former state Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger was the only candidate to openly say he supports government-run, single-payer healthcare, while the other candidates said the state should at least expand Medicaid. Hanger said expanding Medicaid was “partial” to providing healthcare to all Pennsylvanians.
All candidates said they support a severance tax, responsible natural gas drilling – except in state parks and forest land – and holding companies who commit repeat environmental offenses more accountable. Their stance drew a silent but visible protest from about a dozen protesters who held up signs saying “Stop Fracking Now.”
On campaign finance reform, York businessman Tom Wolf said he lamented the role money plays in politics, which he said “sounds very hypocritical” since he contributed $10 million of his own wealth to his campaign.
“I don’t have too many other advantages in this race … one of the ways I have to get my story out is to spend money,” he said. “I’m playing by the rules of the game that exist right now,” but said he would work to change the rules if elected.
“It is a challenge, as one of the non-self-funders in this race,” said U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, who boasts thousands of low-dollar contributions. Her campaign has been critical of Wolf and McCord for self-funding their campaigns. McCord gave $1.7 million to his own campaign.
“We have very good people playing by bad rules,” McCord said.
Former state Environmental Protection Secretary Katie McGinty, who has also given almost half-a-million to her campaign in contributions and loans, opened herself up to criticism when she said she spends 80 percent of her time dialing for dollars to fund her campaign, a fact she feels “zero percent good about.”
“I refuse to do that,” Hanger said in response. He reported raising about $1 million, including a $750,000 loan to his campaign.
On corrections reform, Wolf said his furniture company has a second-chance program for those who were arrested for marijuana possession. A campaign spokesman said after the debate the company hires people who were arrested in possession of an ounce or less marijuana. It wasn’t clear if the policy affects current employees or just those seeking employment, or if that policy would translate to his administration if elected governor.
Hanger, who said he once was mugged at gunpoint, said he knows the difference between violent crime and someone possessing marijuana.
McCord said any effort related to crime should start with investing more in education. Schwartz said more should be done to help ex-offenders find a job.
Keystone Progress intends to hold a gubernatorial straw poll on Saturday, as well as a debate, at noon, involving the candidates for lieutenant governor.
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