Tom Wolf Says He's Nervous But Proud As He Prepares To Take The Oath Of Office
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) --- Tom Wolf admits to having a few butterflies in his stomach as he prepares to take the oath of office today as Pennsylvania's new governor.
It was a frank admission from the governor-elect as he spoke to reporters on the eve of his inaugural.
"It's a new job, so I'm a little nervous about that," Wolf said. "But I'm really proud of the team I've put together who are going to work with me and help me move the state forward. So I'm feeling very comfortable."
That team is stacked with former administration members of Pennsylvania's last Democratic governor, Ed Rendell.
In fact, Franklin and Marshall College political analyst Terry Madonna notes, "There's some remarkable parallels between Rendell and Wolf. A budget deficit, both want new taxes, both faced challenges with the economy."
But Madonna says the deficit that Wolf faces is worse than when Rendell took office, and the Republican-controlled legislature is even more polarized.
In his inaugural address, Wolf says he'll acknowledge that Pennsylvanians voted for divided government, but he says they did not vote for dysfunction.
"And I'm going to make the point – as I think Speaker Turzai has, Chief Justice Saylor and the leaders of the Senate, everybody – that we're all going to have to work together," says Wolf.
After taking the oath, Wolf says his first acts will be to sign executive orders banning gifts to people in the executive branch and making the granting of legal contracts more fair and transparent.