HARRISBURG — Tom Wolf took the oath of office Tuesday, becoming the 47th governor of Pennsylvania.
Wolf, a businessman from York, defeated incumbent Governor Tom Corbett in November.
“I am an unconventional governor,” Wolf said in his inaugural address. “I may be the first governor of Pennsylvania who operated a forklift, managed a hardware store, volunteered for the Peace Corps, and ran a business. I am not a product of our political system. During my campaign, I pledged to be a different kind of governor, and I will keep that promise.”
Wolf, a Democrat, ran on a platform of increasing state spending on education by increasing taxes on natural gas drilling operations.
As he takes office, he faces a budget deficit of about $2 billion. The new governor has until March to submit a budget to the General Assembly.
Over the weekend, Wolf said the first thing he will do after being sworn in is sign some executive orders dealing with ethics and accepting gifts.
There’s an open house at the governor’s mansion Tuesday afternoon, followed by the inaugural celebration Tuesday night in Hershey.
