Fourteen counties in four days made for a busy schedule for Gov. Tom Wolf, but local officials were happy to see him, if only for a little while.
The governor and his entourage visited Cole Memorial Hospital in Potter County on Thursday. County commissioner Paul Heimel said it was an important visit to rural residents.
“He acknowledged the natural resources that are the foundation of our tourist industry, and he saw first hand the importance of having quality healthcare available in rural Pennsylvania,” Heimel said. “These are two critical elements of our local economy and our quality of life. I believe he emerged with the message that it is important to protect both of them.”
During the visit, Heimel mentioned he had more he wished to discuss with Wolf. Although time constraints prevented it, the governor “assured me that if I contacted one of his staff members who I know quite well and shared my concerns with him, he would commit to a conversation in the near future,” Heimel said.
Bradford City Mayor Tom Riel spoke to the governor and Pennsylvania’s First Lady Frances Wolf Thursday night, while the couple dined at Kabob’s at The Option House.
“We spent time speaking about the problems of Bradford, which is very isolated and rural, unlike most cities in Pennsylvania,” Riel said. “We talked about the need for municipalities to generate revenue besides simply raising property taxes. He was rather shocked to learn the City of Bradford’s budget is $9.8 million, but we take in less than $3 million in property taxes. And our pension obligation alone is about $4 million.”
After dinner, the Wolfs went to Beefeater’s for a tour of the old library building. Riel said Frances Wolf, an arts lover, expressed interest in returning to Bradford when she had more time, and could visit the Marilyn Horne Museum.
“They were very impressed with the buildings in the downtown historic district,” Riel said. “So many small towns don’t have any of their history left.”
Riel said it was his impression that the Wolfs were impressed with the entirety of the tour.
On Saturday, the couple visited the Elk Country Visitors Center and BWP Bats in Brookville.
“Commerce doesn’t stop in Pennsylvania just because it’s a Saturday,” Gov. Tom Wolf said. “It’s clear today in our visits that business is alive and well in Northern Pennsylvania. We saw first-hand how the beauty of nature and rich agricultural traditions of our state are popular attractions helping to make Pennsylvania the perfect place to live, work, and play.”
The governor’s visit was a welcome one, said Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint.
“I’m glad he made the trip,” Causer said. “I think it’s important to have statewide officials travel above Interstate 80 to see the rural part of the state, to see how rural people live and the roads we drive on.”
Causer said he wasn’t trying to be critical of Wolf, but added he’d like to see him visit when he could hold public forums to speak directly with constituents.
“I think there’s a lot of members of the public who would like to talk to him and ask him questions,” Causer said. Not only that, he added, but it would be a good opportunity for rural residents to actually meet the governor face-to-face.
He said, “I hope he comes back when he has more time.”
