Tom Wolf is ready for his close-up.
The rest of the state? Well, that is to be determined.
The new governor has been busy making news in his first month in the job. He's been good to his word, that being that he would be an unconventional leader.
He sacked a bunch of last-minute appointees by his predecessor, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, including a very well-qualified guy to head the state Office of Open Records. Erik Arneson, a former aide to Delco Sen. Dominic Pileggi, is going to court to get his job back.
He could soon have company. Late Sunday, Wolf jettisoned the head of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission. Bill Green also believes he's been done wrong and is vowing to battle the governor to keep his title.
Today Wolf ups the ante.
He will deliver his first-ever budget address, and "unconventional" may be an understatement. You can watch the governor's budget address live here.
This is Wolf's dilemma. He wants a lot more money to rectify what he believes is woefully underfunded education funding in the state. Unfortunately, he wants to do it at the same time the state is staring at $3 billion in red ink.
So Wolf will be doing the unthinkable when he rolls out his fiscal blueprint this morning. He's going to hike taxes.
Not just that much talked about severance tax on natural gas drilling in the state. After all, most citizens wouldn't really be affected by a new 5 percent levy on big business that most people in the state believe are making big bucks on the state's massive reseres of natural gas without paying their fair share along the way.
No, the Pennsylvania budget debate is about to get up close and personal.
Wolf is going to reach into your wallet. His proposals likely will affect every Pennsylvania resident in the one place guaranteed to evoke an emotional response - their pocket.
Wolf likely will call for an increase in the state sales tax, which currently sits at 6 percent. It could go as high as 6.6 percent. Ditto for the personal income tax. Right now the state takes a 3.07 percent bite out of every paycheck. That could go to 3.7 percent.
There is some good news for people who live or work in Philadelphia. Wolf is actually calling for a decrease in the hated city wage tax.
While Wolf taketh away with one hand, he is promising to give back with the other. The Democrat wants to take much of this new revenue and target it for property tax relief across the state.
But none of this is going to happen unless Wolf can get it through the Legislature, which just happens to be controlled by Republicans, many of whom have never met a tax they did not hate.
Wolf will need to be more than "unconventional" to get this budget plan through the minefield that is the GOP-controlled House and Senate. He'll need to be political, a horse trader, someone who can work with Republicans. He'll no doubt have to give them something in return for backing on his spending plans.
Can you say liquor privatization?
One thing is sure. This will not be Tom Corbett's budget. The Republican rode an anti-tax pledge into the governor's mansion, then chafed for four years with that millstone around his neck.
Wolf is making no such claims. He will be pushing hikes in several taxes in exchange for relief on property taxes and more money for education.
Brace yourself for the "Unconventional" era in Pennsylvania politics.
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