Six weeks from now, Tom Wolf will be sworn in as Pennsylvania's 47th governor.

A former Wabtec executive was named to Wolf's advisory committee — working on the transition from Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's administration to a Democratic administration that will deal with Republican majorities in the state House and Senate.

“The transition team is about getting the current baselines for those new people coming in,” said Murrysville Mayor Robert J. Brooks, a former Wabtec executive vice president, who remains on the Wilmerding company's board of directors.

“A lot of our employees come from the valley,” said Brooks, who has been part of the Mon-Yough business community since 1980. “It is always important to us.”

Brooks could not talk about specifics for a region that was not represented on state boards or commissions over the past four years.

“There is a lot of work to be done, but in a couple weeks we will start to see the transition taking form,” Brooks said. “I know the governor-elect is very positive about jobs and about transportation, schools and all of those areas.”

Area lawmakers believe Wolf will have local appointees.

“I am aware of quite a few names that are in the pipeline,” said 45th District Sen. James R. Brewster, D-McKeesport. “We've all thrown up some suggestions. (Still) I think they are taking their time. They're not willing to rush into anything in terms of assignments, appointments and that sort of thing.”

Area lawmakers expect to be well acquainted with whomever Wolf names as his liaison with the General Assembly.

“He made it clear he would reach out on a regular basis to the Senate caucus here in Allegheny County as well as to county executive Rich Fitzgerald,” said Brewster, who was in Pittsburgh on Thursday night as Wolf helped Fitzgerald kick off his bid for a second term.

“I look forward to the discussions we are going to have in the legislature,” said 35th District Rep. Marc J. Gergely, D-White Oak, who likely was Wolf's first Mon-Yough backer.

As McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said at Wolf's first public appearance in his city March 8, Gergely was trying to set up a get-acquainted meeting with the eventual governor-elect before his poll numbers took off in a four-way primary race.

Brewster recalled Wolf's three campaign visits to McKeesport, once to Di's Kornerstone Diner and twice to Renziehausen Park, the second time was in October.

“I have to believe that an individual who has been in this area as many times as he has been will not be reluctant to be back here as needed,” Brewster said.

“Holistically there is no way we can be ignored,” Gergely said, citing issues found in McKeesport as well as in such cities as York, Bethlehem and Erie.

“The governor-elect is from York, which has faced many of the same dilemmas that many of our communities are facing today,” Gergely said.

Gergely noted a precautionary tone Wolf takes to issues.

“We are going to have to be pragmatic in our approach,” Gergely said. “We are going to have to find common ground to make it work.”

Brewster said he may introduce or co-sponsor bills to put a severance tax in place while working to help the gas industry continue to move forward; provide a fair formula for funding public education; modernize state liquor stores rather than privatize them; and eliminate such perks as per diem payments and access to state-owned vehicles.

“We can find consensus and middle of the road solutions,” Brewster said.

Patrick Cloonan is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-664-9161, ext. 1967, or pcloonan@tribweb.com.

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