(May 2022) Defended reproductive rights & woman's right to choose. After Shapiros 2016 election as Attorney General, Fritz served for three years as a deputy chief of staff and communications director there, leading public-facing efforts around the Catholic Church investigation, UPMC/Highmark dispute, lawsuits against the Trump Administration, and more. Throughout his campaign, Shapiro highlighted his work defending Pennsylvania against former President Donald Trumps attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and he framed his victory as a rejection of radicalism and misinformation. Because we share our stories, he said. His picks include Al Schmidt, Val Arkoosh, and Pat Browne. Josh Shapiro unveils his first budget next week, the poor districts that won a landmark school-funding lawsuit will want to see him propose a significant down payment and a plan to overhaul how the state pays for K-12 education in what could be a term-defining moment for the Democrat. Josh Shapiro made a lot of promises on the campaign trail. It never happened, but not because theres significant opposition to the measure. The effort stalled because GOP lawmakers pushed to also include other major election changes, including expanded ID requirements at the polls. Whats next:Republican lawmakers and Wolf spent the past two years intermittently trying to pass an election bill that would have expanded pre-canvassing. And campaign operative Larry Hailsham Jr., who was political director on Shapiros bid for governor, will be the new executive deputy chief of staff. This allowed Shapiros campaign to run ad after TV ad across the state portraying Mastriano as a dangerous radical and Shapiro as a reasonable consensus-builder. Republicans in Harrisburg have generally been unwilling to tighten gun laws despite being open to some of Democrats criminal justice priorities in the past. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? (AP Photo/Matt Rourke). Do you receive unwanted calls? The Proprietary Attorneys General existed until 1776 when the Attorney General became a constitutional officer of the democratic Commonwealth. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro heads to Pittsburgh Wednesday to formally announce hes seeking the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania governor. Josh Shapiro made a stop in Jenkintown Borough, Montgomery County Thursday evening to address supporters at the site of his new county campaign office. Isenhour said this duty was a difficult part of her job during the Wolf administration. Many were Democrats; some were Republicans. Sign up for our free newsletters. Before that, he ran the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which the state created to oversee Philadelphia's finances. If Fetterman does resign, Shapiro will need to appoint a temporary replacement, and then a special election would be called to fill the remainder of his six-year term. Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could lose their health insurance and nearly two million could face more food insecurity in the coming months. Spotlight PAis an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Believe me, I had this on my bingo card 25 years ago.. John Fettermans successful campaign for U.S. Senate. Whats next:Shapiro has indicated he wants to put money into plugging abandoned wells a significant source of emissions in Pennsylvania and said such an effort could create jobs. Basically Shapiro hung onto all the Biden voters and had unusually large numbers of them actually voting in the midterm elections and then additionally, he persuaded some Trump voters, she said. But hell need support from the legislature to implement nearly every one of the major policies he has proposed to that end. Before serving as First Deputy Attorney General, Michelle dedicated over 20 years of her career to the Bucks County District Attorneys Office taking on critical jobs including Chief of Major Crimes, Chief of Child Abuse, and First Assistant. Danielle Okai is currently deputy director of public engagement at the U.S Department of Commerce and previously worked in the White House, on President Joe Bidens campaign, and in the Wolf administration. She noted that Republicans no longer have the firm hold on the state House that they did during Wolfs tenure. Now, he faces t Support local journalism. In the long term plan, the plaintiffs want a system that addresses all the inequities the court recognized, McInerney said. Shapiro, who is finishing his sixth year as state attorney general, will be sworn in Jan. 17. Fritz, a Lehigh Valley native, was deputy campaign manager in Shapiros 2016 bid for attorney general and stayed with him after he took office, working over several years in communications and as deputy chief of staff. Any plan must get through the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and the Republican-controlled Senate. Former Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood political operations leader Lindsey Mauldin, who previously held roles in the Wolf administrations departments of Human Services and Health, will now be the deputy chief of staff working with both of those agencies. Dana Fritz, who led Shapiro's successful bid for governor, will be his chief of staff. Read more Courtesy Dana Fritz Dana Fritz, who managed Attorney General Josh Shapiros winning gubernatorial campaign, will be his chief of staff in Harrisburg. So he benefited from both swinging the votes of some number of independents, and he benefited from maintaining strong turnout among sometimes-voters, most strongly in upscale suburbs and exurbs.. The loss has led to widespread discontent among legislative Republicans, all of whom agree that the party needs a legible policy platform and clearer messaging. Her district has two producing coal mines and a good number of natural gas jobs and Snyder, for one, supports their continued operation. Fritz, 32, goes back a decade with Shapiro, helping him campaign for Montgomery County commissioner in 2012 before she held senior positions in his three successful campaigns for state attorney general and governor. There have been too many losses, too many narrow wins.. we can do A, B, or C. Youre the governor, you get to decide.. Isenhour said offering recommendations was part of her job, though she added of Wolf, I wasnt giving advice, because hes the one with the Ph.D. She often helped the governor make tough calls, telling Wolf, OK governor, here are our options . In between, she worked as a top deputy for communications under Shapiro in the attorney general's office. Sign up for our free newsletters. Promise:Shapiro wants to implement new programs regarding commutation and recidivism. Unlike program, but 90% of parents are opposed, Fishing license could get more expensive in Pennsylvania. Various Attorneys General and the Governors who appointed them defined the duties of the Office in different and contradictory ways. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro made a gubernatorial campaign stop at a home in Forest Hills, Allegheny County on March 18, 2022. Among people who work on and with Democratic campaigns, Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign, with its firm focus on Pennsylvanias cities and big suburbs, has become a model of how not to run a race in the state. The Office of Public Engagement prevents crime through outreach in communities across Pennsylvania. This does not mean cities had terrible turnout. A former police officer who also worked in corporate security, Vereb is a Republican who held a Montgomery County state House seat from 2006 to 2016. Youre putting out fires all the time, said Mary Isenhour, who served as both legislative director and chief of staff for Shapiros predecessor, Democratic Gov. Promise:Shapiro said he will sign legislation toallow counties to begin tabulating mail ballots before Election Day, a process known as pre-canvassing that is common in states with widespread mail voting. Under a policy instituted in January, Democratic Gov. Mastriano and his backers argued that grassroots enthusiasm in redder, rural areas would overcome the deficits in more moderate suburbs. Former Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood political operations leader Lindsey Mauldin, who previously held roles in the Wolf administrations departments of Human Services and Health, will now be the deputy chief of staff working with both of those agencies. Unlike department secretaries, the Democrats top staffers wont need to be confirmed by the state Senate. So far, he has said little about how he will respond to the court decision after saying repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that he was in favor of fully funding public schools. Its not a surprise. SEIU endorsed Josh Shapiros campaign for governor back in 2021. By the time he emerged from a bruising primary with little support from mainstream Republicans, Shapiro had spent his uncontested primary raising tens of millions of dollars and building campaign infrastructure across the state. December 6, 2022 / 1:40 PM Shapiros transition team Request a presentation and access resources from the office online. Now, he faces the new challenge of keeping them. They worked together for 10 years. In many instances though, he voted the party line in ways that clash with the current Democratic party platform. The Constitution further provided the Attorney General shall be the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be imposed by law. We think that this is an appropriate investment to start to address the scale of the problem were facing, said Maura McInerney, legal director at Pennsylvanias Education Law Center, which helped represent the school districts along with Public Interest Law Center and the OMelveny & Myers law firm. In Philadelphia, for instance, overall 2022 turnout was lower than in 2018 but higher than any other midterm in recent history. Shapiro achieved better margins than Fetterman across most of the state which Putnam mostly attributes to the fact that Fetterman had a relatively more formidable opponent in Mehmet Oz. . Shapiros incoming secretary of legislative affairs, Mike Vereb, is one of the new governors closest and for a powerful Democrat, most unusual allies. Josh Shapiro and executive branch employees be light: Considering the night sky as a resource [Lancaster Watchdog], Some probation officers excluded from misconduct law, Pennsylvanians deserve better from the state House of Representatives [editorial], Pa. health department sues Spotlight PA to keep medical pot program data secret, Pa. voting access is unequal; study finds Lancaster County more restrictive than Chester County, McClinton elected first female speaker of the Pa. House as Rozzi steps down [update]. Snyder, who will retire from the state House at the end of this years legislative session, has for nearly a decade represented a seat in the far southwestern corner of Pennsylvania. WebThe Attorney General is served by a staff of several hundred prosecutors, attorneys, investigators, agents and support staff in offices across the state, divided into four Former Centre County Commissioners Chair Michael Pipe, who often focused on public safety issues during his time in county government, will be the deputy chief of staff for public safety. HARRISBURG Newly minted Pennsylvania Gov. Click here to learn more about the role the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund plays in Lancaster County and to make a tax-deductible donation. But some observers are also focusing on areas where Shapiros results were weaker. At a recent news conference on the gubernatorial transition, Shapiro told reporters hell assemble a working group to assess it. The same pattern basically appeared nationwide this year in disadvantaged urban core areas and in heavily African American areas.. In some cases, theres no guarantee it comes to fruition. Josh Shapiro is stocking his executive staff of advisors, mediators, and policy experts with political veterans and We need your help to keep Pennsylvania in Democratic hands. The act was previously amended in 2020 under Wolf. As Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro prepares to take office on Jan. 17, hes assembling a cabinet and senior staff to execute his agenda. HARRISBURG Newly minted Pennsylvania Gov. Thats a fear and reality that people respond to and it gave him credibility, he said. In December 2021, the Shapiro campaign tapped some of these allies, such as Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, to ask around and find voters who were open to a conversation with Shapiro. When Pennsylvania Gov. HARRISBURG A longtime aide of Josh Shapiro was chosen to become his chief of staff when Pennsylvanias current attorney general transitions to the office of governor next month. 1981-present: Elected Attorneys General. The attorney general also won by a margin not often seen in an open race trouncing GOP candidate Doug Mastriano by nearly 15 points, according to unofficial results, and driving down margins in counties some state and national Democrats have written off in recent years. She was deputy Mastriano never amassed much of a campaign chest or mainstream following, and it showed in both his limited fundraising and his insular events. The current requirement isbetween 8% to 10%depending on the kind of renewable energy source. This week, she was named along with a whos who of other politicians and powerful people to the leadership board of Shapiros gubernatorial transition team. The decision gave no deadline. Joseph Lee, a onetime CIA intelligence analyst who worked under Wolf as acting secretary of Pennsylvanias Department of General Services, will be deputy chief of staff for administration and opportunity. One of the reasons why I was so involved in his campaign is because I see [Shapiro] as a Democrat like me: pragmatic, Snyder said. PublishedNovember 27, 2022 at 7:00 AM EST. That includes earmarking extra aid for the poorest districts and saving the districts money by reducing payments to charter schools. And Shapiros campaign, organizers said, really took the every-county approach to heart. It was a very frank and honest conversation, and there were certain moments where there was outright disagreement, Joyal said. She said Shapiros rhetoric mattered as much as his presence. I joked to him, I think you just need to, like, buy a house here already, youre here once a month, Bozinski said of Shapiros visits to Luzerne. A plan for changing things for people.. Josh Shapiro is stocking his executive staff of advisers, mediators and policy experts with political Tom Wolf. She served as Shapiros HARRISBURG The Shapiro administration insists the governor did not violate his own gift ban when he and top staff went to Arizona for the Super Bowl on the dime of a nonprofit that has received millions of dollars in state money. The last significant change to the commonwealths firearm regulationscame in 2018, when the General Assembly passed a bill that made it easier for law enforcement to take away weapons from people convicted of domestic abuse. The heritage of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is one of the oldest and most divergent offices of public trust in the United States spanning over three centuries of life in the Commonwealth. Currently, he is deputy superintendent for operations at the $4.4 billion Philadelphia school district, the state's largest, after six-plus years as the district's chief financial officer. Kathy Bozinski, who chairs the Democratic committee in Luzerne County, where Clinton notoriously lost six years ago, said that to this day people will shake their heads and say, Hillary Clinton never came here. Youre trying to coordinate between agencies, advocacy groups, the legislature and the legislature was challenging, she said. In their election post-mortems, Republicans complaints go beyond Mastrianos campaign decisions. Josh Shapiro fills executive staff, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Route 33 closed after major crash involving multiple vehicles, Pa. Gov. Ensuring fair and impartial administration of justice for all Pennsylvanians; Advocating for fair and equitable treatment of all consumers; Providing leadership in preventing and controlling crime committed against Pennsylvanians; Pursuing just punishment without fear or favor for those guilty of unlawful behavior. All of them have extensive experience in state politics. Tim Freeman, a Philly-based hotel worker who serves as a steward and worked as a 2022 organizer, said people he spoke to at the door often didnt know it was an election year, or didnt realize Fetterman and Shapiro were both Democrats. / AP. The Public Protection Division safeguards the personal rights of the citizens of Pennsylvania and protects the public interest. Josh Shapiro fills executive staff with loyal allies, political veterans, Pa. lawmakers push bill to crack down on cell phone use while driving, Pa. judges offer conflicting opinions on whether fraud evidence is needed for recount requests, Paul Muschick: How to end the legislative standoff over child sex victim lawsuits. None prompted much controversy. HARRISBURG Gov. Kiley Koscinski / WESA. The office is marked by several significant periods in its history: 1643-1681: Attorneys General before William Penn It was not until 1915 that the General Assembly established new powers and duties for the Office including the authority to appoint more Deputy Attorneys General. But one of the main strategies he used didnt have much to do with the candidates at all it had to do with him, the messenger. The Civil Law Division defends the constitutionality of Pennsylvania law, represents Commonwealth agencies, defends the Commonwealth in tax appeals, collects delinquent taxes and other debts owed to the Commonwealth, handles or supervises various appeals and reviews Commonwealth contracts, regulations and bond issues for form and legality. University of Pittsburgh political analyst Lara Putnam, who already has been combing over available 2022 election data, pointed out a few areas of the state where Shapiros results were especially notable. 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