Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato is in one of the biggest political fights in his career as he’s running as a Democratic candidate for the state’s gubernatorial race.

But politics is nothing new for Onorato, as he left his life behind as a lawyer to run for a seat on Pittsburgh’s City Council in 1991.

By the end of the 1990s Onorato ran and won to be Allegheny County’s new controller, but a few short years later in 2003 he ran for the Office of County Executive. As executive Onorato manages the state’s second largest county.

But now as he’s running to be Pennsylvania’s possibly next governor, Onorato discusses some key issues with Delaware County Magazine.

DCM: Hi, how are you?

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato: Good. yourself?

DCM: Good. Good. Good. Thank you so much for doing this interview ...

Onorato: OK.

DCM: What do you hope to accomplish as governor?

Onorato: The number one issue, number one goal that I’m going to have is to get jobs for the commonwealth. Create environment for the private sector to create jobs back to Pennsylvania. That’s the biggest issue. Jobs, jobs, jobs. There is nothing more important. I proposed to create an environment by doing four things.

One: Taking the corporate tax structure, which is second highest in the United States, and lowering the corporate net income tax, facing out the capital fund tax, the franchise tax, and removing the net operating loss account.

Also, number two, our agencies, taking regulatory agencies, (PENNDOT) making sure they understand that the company asking for a permit they’re not the enemy. They actually deserve an answer within four months, not two years.

Thirdly, training our residents for jobs for today and tomorrow. Our vocational schools, community colleges and 4-year degree universities, making sure the curriculums matches the needs of our companies.

The fourth competent can be take advantage of assets in Pennsylvania. It could be the great universes, the port in Philadelphia, the proximity of New York City up in the North East, our highway systems, our rails, our bridges, our assets that are going to be here and we have to make sure we build an economy around those.

DCM: The state’s feeling the economic crunch like other states in the country. What type of programs would you like to implement as governor to help stimulate Pennsylvania’s economic growth?

Onorato: I’m sorry I guess I jumped the gun. My answer that I gave the first time is again creating a tax structure. By the way, lowering corporate taxes can be paid for by also be willing to consider and looking at the current loopholes, corporate loopholes that allow companies that avoid paying taxes. If we eliminate loopholes, we can lower the rates a lot lower. But having to train workforce and having a response regulatory agency that take advantage of the asses of PA, that will help us to create an environment for the private section to thrive.

A side area will be to reform Harrisburg too and get the government to live within its means. And to recognize this is no time to co-raising taxes. We have to figure out how to run this government on the $28 billion budget that currently exist and look for efficiencies within government.

DCM: A lot of area businesses have been hit hard with this economy, with many business owners having to close their shops. How will you help small-business owners?

Onorato: I would also ask anyone interested in the race to look at my Web page for all my policy papers on voteonorato.com. In there I have an economic development paper that talks specifically on small businesses. The program that actually works and being a county executive, I have a lot of municipalities where we were able to see the benefits of Alp Street and Main Street and working capital funds and different programs that helped small business continue to grow and prosper. We all know that small business help create the jobs. My economic development department, we’re going to have programs directed towards small businesses and help them to thrive and survive and remain profitable in this environment and continue to grow and be of interest to the state.

DCM: What issues have you found voters asking you the most about?

Onorato: Jobs are the number one. Jobs and the economy is the biggest issue everyone is talking about. Outside of that, Marcellus Shale natural gas line is a big one. People are concern about the impact of the environment. My opponent is completely different on this than I am. My opponent is for no regulations and no tax and letting it just do whatever they want to do to business. My proposal is very clear. I supported reasonable severance tax and I would use that money to do three things:

One, I would fund, fully fund the Department of Environmental Protection and I would take a 28 percent cut in the last two budgets and you can’t be drilling in PA and not have a department of environmental protection.

Two, I would do an impact fund. I set money aside for municipalities to do their roads, water lines and sewer lines because of the wear-and-tear from the industry. Three I would use the severance tax to do a grow-a-greener tree fund. Gov. Ridge did one, Gov. Rendell did one. This would give us money to preserve farm land and open space and clean up ground fields. This way we can have Marcellus Shale to grow in a responsible way.

And then fourth point is that they are projecting 80,000 jobs in the next 18 months from Marcellus Shale, as governor before I give permits to drill, and I’m prepared to do that, I’m going to have an understanding with the industry that they will hire Pennsylvanians to get those jobs and we’ll train the people. But we want Pennsylvanians getting those jobs, not Texas and Oklahoma.

DCM: Senior citizens are facing tough times with drug coverage issues and insurance. What are some of the ways you are planning to help seniors deal with drug and insurance costs?

Onorato: We’re going to continue to build off of the PACE (Prescription Assistance) program. The next governor gets the opportunity to implement the new federal health care bill. Within that it removes the doughnut hole for seniors who currently … when they reach that doughnut hole they have to pay full price. The new federal health care bill eliminates that which will help many of our seniors who are spending a lot of money but now are able to continue to get it at a low price or for free. And also we have to make sure we lower the cost.

Another thing is adultBasic, which is scheduled to expire at the end of the year, that’s for adults who are working but they’re not making enough for insurance. There was an arraignment for five years to have the big insurance companies, especially BlueCross and BlueShield, to pay for adultBasic. I’m going to call on them to extent that for three more years until the federal health care bill is implemented in 2014. So we’re going to be focusing on all those different areas to make sure seniors are not hurting or don’t have worry about their prescriptions.

And my commitment that the Pennsylvania lottery will remain as a benefit to seniors, especially in relation to their health care costs.

DCM: With education one of the big issues for voting parents, many students in the state are not meeting basic scores on standardized tests. How would you help Pennsylvania children not only meet basic requirement, but go beyond them?

Onorato: A couple things. One I’ve called for the continuing of the funding of the Costing-Out study. That’s a basic funding formula that allows Pennsylvania to continue to move forward. We’re one of the only states that have seen an improvement in grades in the last three years.

Another reason why I’ll fund the Costing-Out study is because if we don’t fund basic education, we’ll just push it down to school districts and they’re going to raise property taxes. I’m also a big believer and will fund programs for pre-kindergarten activity, pre-K. All the reports show that the earlier we give these kids in the system the better shot they’ll have at life. I would much rather spend tax dollars on pre-kindergarten activity as oppose to dealing with this kids as 15, 16, 17 year olds by building jails and locking them up. …

I also support charter schools, the educational improvement tax credit, and even a limited grant program for certain low-income kids that are in failing schools. So that would be my overall broad view of education by making sure the public school works.

DCM: According to Pennsylvania’s Voter Registration Statistics, since the end of 2009 until April of this year, 10,190 Democrats have switched to the Republican Party. Since the state is Democratic Country, does this worry you that some within your party are switching sides?

Onorato: The year before you had 10 times that many switching the other way. But I’m not worried about either one of those because I’m running to get Democratic, Republican, and independent votes. I’m trying to represent everybody in Pennsylvania. As a Democrat, I know the Democrats do have a 1.2 million more register voters than Republicans do, so you know that’s just a number. But ultimately you have to get people to vote for you and I’m confident that we’re going to win because of my issues verses of my opponent.

DCM: An investigating grand jury stated this past May that the Pennsylvania legislature is involved in public corruption and suggested major changes, including cutting staff and even placing term limits for those in office. What are your thoughts on this?

Onorato: First of all, I was glad to see that that committee came around to where I was. I put out a policy paper well in advance of the primary and well before that report came out and in that I called for all of the items that where in there, plus more. I support term limits, I support downsizing the Senate, downsizing the House.

I support downsizing the overall budget by 20 percent at least. I’ve been very outspoken on reforming the ethics, campaign finance reform, and the call for constitutional convention to make the changes where we have to make them within the constitution. I’m in full support plus more.

DCM: State revenue officials back in May said the state budget deficit was more than $1 billion and growing. Whose fault do you think it is for allowing this to get out of hand and what steps are you planning on taking to reduce the deficit?

Onorato: I’m not sure whose fault it is currently, but I do know that we’re in the worst recession since the Great Depression. And I’ve been running the second largest county for the last seven years and I’ve never raised property taxes. We haven’t raised property taxes now in my county for nine years in a row. And we were able to do that by being more efficient and consolidating government and living within our means. As governor, I’m prepared to do that without raising taxes and finding efficiencies in the $28-billion budget.

DCM: As a husband and father running for the highest office in the state, how tough has it been for you to spend some quality time with your family and friends?

Onorato: (laughs) Well, I have a great partner in my wife as it relates to running state wide. I have three great children that are now 19, 16, and 13. They’re very helpful and active. I do as much as I can as a family. As you know I’m crisscrossing the state and I’m away a lot more now than just being the county executive but it’s all for something that we all believe in. We know it all comes to an end, at least the campaign traveling on Election Day. I do it in a way where I’m included as much as I can and we make sure it’s family effort and that’s how we can do it as a positive way.