State Sen. Corman retires; 2 vie for nominations

State Sen. J. Doyle Corman, R-Centre, formally announced yesterday he will retire after 31 years of representing his constituents as a Centre County Commissioner and then as a senator.

Sen. Corman has represented the 34th district, which encompasses Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Juniata and parts of Perry counties, for the past 21 years.

With Sen. Corman stepping down this November, two possible Republican candidates have emerged for the May 19 primaries -- Centre County Commissioner Chairwoman Vicki Bumbarger Wedler and Sen. Corman's son, Jacob Doyle Corman III.

Wedler announced unofficially Sunday that she will seek the Republican nomination in the May 19 primaries. A formal announcement is expected at a later date.

"I think I have the kind of experience . . . it's a very good background to take to the next level of government," Wedler said. "I think it's a natural progression."

Wedler's involvement in local government began in 1977, when Sen. Corman hired her. She worked for 10 years in an administrative capacity for the County Commissioners.

She was elected a county commissioner in 1987 and has since been elected to the board of directors to the Pennsylvania State Association of County Commissioners, as well as other leadership positions.

"I have run and been elected by constituents and peers," she said.

After representing the community as a county commissioner for 10 years and then as a senator for 21 years, Sen. Corman said it is time to retire.

"I'm going to do something else," he said.

He said he intends to remain very much involved in the Republican Party.

"I'm very proud that I met the needs of the people for twenty-something years," Sen. Corman said.

Sen. Corman also said he has tried to vote the way the majority of his constituents would want him to vote. His term in office includes serving as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. He has worked for funding for the University, building better roads and highways in the district and has been an advocate for local government tax reform.

As Sen. Corman's term comes to a close, he said he would be honored if his son would "follow in his father's footsteps."

Jacob Doyle Corman III said he is currently assessing the level of support available before he officially announces his first run for political office.

"I've made a decision that I want to run," Corman III said.

So far, the response has been positive, he said.

"If it continues to go that way, I will be a candidate," Corman III said.

Corman III is a 33-year-old University graduate who has worked for the past three years as an aide for U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, R-PA, in central Pennsylvania. Santorum previously worked for Sen. Corman as an administrative assistant from 1981 to 1986.

Corman III also worked as a field director for the Pennsylvania Builders Association and worked for the family business, Century 21 Corman Associates.

The path of placing a name on the election ballot officially begins Feb. 17, said Joyce McKinley, director of the Centre County Office of Elections.

Candidates must circulate a petition within the 34th district and obtain 500 constituent signatures.

The petition must then be sent with a $100 filing fee and other required information to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Elections in Harrisburg by 5 p.m. March 10. The Harrisburg office sends the list of eligible candidates back to Bellefonte to be placed on the May 19 ballots.