Corbett's team jingles with donors
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Gov.-elect Tom Corbett
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HARRISBURG -- Gov.-elect Tom Corbett's transition team has a lot more to offer than expertise on energy policy, welfare reform and education programs.
Many of the members also have access to plenty of money -- and during the campaign, they handed bundles of it to Mr. Corbett.
Together, transition team members contributed $1.9 million to the Shaler Republican's gubernatorial campaign, while companies they work for, their co-workers and political action committees controlled by their employers kicked in another $2.7 million.
That's nearly 19 percent of the $24.5 million the Corbett campaign spent on the primary and general elections.
Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley said the governor-elect and his top advisers did not consider campaign contributions -- or even party affiliation -- when they picked transition team members.
Some, such as state Rep. Tom Caltagirone of Bucks County, are Democrats. Others, such as Citizens Bank CEO Dan Fitzpatrick, contributed to the gubernatorial campaign of Mr. Corbett's Democratic opponent, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.
Two-thirds, though, have a financial relationship to Mr. Corbett's campaign -- they, their companies or their colleagues contributed to Mr. Corbett, to Lt. Gov.-elect Jim Cawley or to political action committees that pumped money into their campaign.
The transition team member who provided the most to Mr. Corbett -- $334,286 over the past three years -- was Vahan Gureghian, a Gladwyne lawyer who operates the state's largest charter school and owns a billboard company.
Mr. Gureghian was tapped to serve on the education committee and to lead the 27-member transportation committee, along with two former PennDOT administrators.
He did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Harley said members were asked not to speak about their work with reporters because "the transition is not really a public event."
Observers have noted that the committees are packed with Republicans and lobbyists who have an interest in guiding policy and are willing to pay for access to decision makers.
First Published December 19, 2010 12:00 am
