Knox fights for Dem progressive tag

Timothy McNulty | November 5, 2009

Tom Knox appears to be fighting Joe Hoeffel for that progressive tag among the Dem gubernatorial candidates.

The Philadelphia businessman is releasing a state government reform plan today designed with the help of Common Cause that calls for campaign finance reform, eliminating walking-around-money (WAMs) and reducing the size of the legislature. The main planks, according to a news release, include:

• Enactment of state political campaign contribution limitations;
• Prohibition of "gifts" and "free meals" to all state officials from lobbyists;
• Elimination of the practice of "pay-to-play" in state and local contracting;
• Require public officials to resign prior campaigning for another elective office;
• Implement "performance audits" to ensure government programs actually work;
• End "revolving door" of state regulators;
• Mandate annual "ethics training" for legislative and public officials;
• Eliminate secret legislative spending accounts - "WAMS";
• Establish ethics reporting hotline;
• Enact legislative "gavel bill" designation;
• Provide for the merit selection of judges; and,
• Reducing the size of the State Legislature.

Also from his statement:

"Because I am not a career politician, I have no stake protecting Harrisburg's business-as-usual culture," said Knox.  "If elected Governor, it will be my priority to work to restore public confidence in the ability of state government to respond to the needs of families, and not just the demands of politically connected special interests."

Knox called Pennsylvania's embarrassing budget process "symptomatic" of a broken political system that needs reform.