HARRISBURG -- Gov. Tom Corbett has a new ride. So does his first lady. And his lieutenant governor. And the lieutenant governor's wife.
The taxpayer tab: $186,000.
Even as his administration is proposing dramatic cuts in the state's next budget, Mr. Corbett, first lady Susan Corbett, Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley and his wife Suzanne are riding in new sport utility vehicles.
The men got 2011 Chevy Suburbans, each at a cost of $53,000, according to state records. The women received 2011 Chevy Traverses, at a cost of about $40,000 each.
Mr. Corbett, who before the purchase was driven around in cars that former Gov. Rendell had used, said Monday that he did not ask for the new vehicles. In an interview, the governor said the state police made the decision to buy the cars after assessing how many miles were on the older cars and the safety of the passengers in them.
The new cars, first reported by the Patriot-News of Harrisburg, spiraled into a mini-controversy for Mr. Corbett on Monday, more so when it became known that the governor's new car was picked up for use on March 30.
That happened to be the same day Corbett told reporters he was driving around in a hand-me-down from the Rendell era.
Corbett apparently didn't take his inaugural ride in the new car until April 1, according to State Police spokesman Jack Lewis.
"I don't think [Corbett] knew he was getting a new car until he actually got it" on April 1, spokesman Kevin Harley explained Monday.
Mr. Harley said the governor remains committed to reducing the state's auto fleet -- a vow made often in his fall campaign -- and that, with one exception, he has directed his executive staff to drive their own cars rather than state cars. The exception is the chief of staff, Bill Ward, Mr. Harley said.
"This huge cost-cutting, the likes of which we have not seen in 40 years anyway, is driving the scrutiny," said political analyst and pollster G. Terry Madonna. "I don't fault [Corbett] for the type of vehicle or the need to be safe, but I think in this day and age, it has to be about shared sacrifice. Public officials cannot ask voters to accept cuts and reduction of services without themselves leading the way."
In his budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year, Mr. Corbett has proposed axing more than half the funding for state-supported universities.
He also wants to reduce state aid to public schools by more than $1 billion.
In speech after speech, he has said he believes everyone must sacrifice as the state seeks to resolve an estimated $4 billion deficit next year.
"The sacrifice must be collective," Mr. Corbett said in his March 8 budget address, "as will be the ultimate rewards."
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