Gov.-elect Tom Wolf pledged throughout his campaign last year to provide “a fresh start” for Pennsylvania. He spent a lot of his own money while campaigning to earn the opportunity to present a fresh start.

Let’s hope our new governor doesn’t suffer buyer’s remorse when he takes office Jan. 20.

Wolf, a York County Democrat, is speaking pragmatically now that the election is over and he transitions from politician to chief executive.

His plain talk is focused on a budget deficit of about $2 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30.

“It is not acceptable simply because it doesn’t work mathematically,” Wolf said recently. “The commonwealth of Pennsylvania deserves a lot better, so we need to get beyond this.”

Analysts say the looming shortfall, a product of accounting maneuvers by Wolf’s predecessor, Gov. Tom Corbett, is fostering a crisis atmosphere in Harrisburg — which might encourage Wolf and a strengthened GOP majority in both chambers of the Legislature to cooperate in finding solutions.

One possible solution would be to reform the state and school employee pension funds. The state faces unfunded pension liabilities of more than $41 billion — that’s $12 billion more than the entire state budget of $29 billion.

Labor unions, which supported Wolf’s campaign, are likely to object to any pension reforms on the basis that union retirees don’t want their pension touched. Unions also might be inclined to argue that Wolf owes them some allegiance in return for their campaign support.

Wolf will be required to negotiate new labor contracts with the unions representing tens of thousands of state employees whose contracts expire at the end of June.

Republican legislative leaders want to tie pensions to a 5-percent natural gas severance tax proposed by Wolf as part of his campaign. No pension reform, no severance tax, says state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre County, the incoming Senate majority leader.

That’s fine, let’s discuss it, Wolf has responded.

What kind of negotiator will Gov. Wolf turn out to be? Is he willing to find middle ground between GOP rivals and labor allies?

Will he lean on compassion he learned as a Peace Corps volunteer in India, or on the CEO toughness he honed as head of the family cabinetry business?

And will he live up to his contention that “the backbone of my campaign was a make a better Pennsylvania”?

Pennsylvanians will know soon enough.