Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vowed not to sit behind a desk in Harrisburg, but instead to get out and meet people.

Wednesday morning he did just that in Jim Thorpe as he kicked off a four-day trek across northern Pennsylvania.Wolf's one-hour visit included a walk around town while engaging in discussions with elected officials, business owners and residents."Jim Thorpe is such a beautiful town," Wolf said upon his arrival. "It's neat to be up in the mountains and it's a place where I really wanted to start this tour."After a brief introduction in the county commissioners' meeting room, Wolf walked across the street to the Asa Packer Mansion where he was briefed on the building's history by its executive director, Ron Sheehan.From there, Wolf headed to Broadway, where he stopped in to the Gem Shop and the Bear Appetite Cafe."I'm here to try and understand the issues," Wolf said of his stop. "I want to know from people what we can do in Harrisburg better than what we're doing. There are issues out there like the rock slide on Route 209 and I want to make sure we're doing what we can to address the issues."Wolf, who viewed the rock slide on the Mansion House Hill on his way into town, said Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials were meeting at the site at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, with a resolution expected quickly."An emergency contract allows us to move a little quicker," Wolf said. "We're hoping to have something going there as soon as possible and then do something in the long term to help prevent that from happening in the future."Glad for the visitCarbon County Commissioner William O'Gurek played a large part in helping to set up Wolf's visit and called it "an honor anytime someone from a higher level of government stops by Carbon County.""We get a chance to show him what we're doing here and of course, if you get him on the side you're going to talk to him about a few things," O'Gurek said. "First and foremost, we're pushing hard for that Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program application we submitted, which would bring us some state funding for the fire training facility. That doesn't get done without help and the guy who is in Jim Thorpe today is the guy who can help."Other issues the commissioners hoped to discuss with the governor included economic development, the importance of tourism in Carbon County and transportation."Working together is what it's all about and we just want to let him know how important these matters are to us," Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said.Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said it speaks volumes about the governor that he was willing to take time out of his schedule to visit Jim Thorpe."It's not a political visit or about what party you're in," Gerhard said, "this is just a great day to go out and help him see some of our area."The final stop on Wolf's tour was the site of the Mansion House Bridge project.The pedestrian bridge was funded in large part by a $3.3 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and will close a key gap in the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Trail.Project completion is expected by November.Budget crisisBefore leaving town, Wolf chimed in on the ongoing state budget crisis, noting that he "is not sure why things are taking so long."S&P's Global Ratings downgraded Pennsylvania's credit rating from an AA rating to an A+ marking the lowest rating for the state in 39 years."We're finally at a point where I think the House and Senate realize we have to reconcile differences and I'm hoping we get something by Oct. 1," he said. "This credit downgrade is going to result in everyone paying more interest from municipalities to counties to school districts as well as the state."While a stalemate continues over how to fund the state's $32 billion budget, Wolf said there is no fear of a government shutdown at this point."That won't happen if the House and Senate do what they say they are going to do and find some compromise by Oct. 1," Wolf said. "I don't know where the money will come from to fund the budget. You'll have to ask the people who voted for the irresponsible budget in the House."Following his stop in Jim Thorpe on Wednesday, Wolf planned a walking tour of downtown Tunkhannock and a tour of the Endless Mountains Hospital in Montrose.