As we settle into the new year, it is important to take note of the historic election of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Sixty-three years have passed since Pennsylvania last elected two democratic governors in a row back in 1959. 

Now only a few days into the new administration, Shapiro has taken steps to differentiate himself from his predecessor, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf. Many of Shapiro’s appointments to his cabinet and executive office have been groundbreaking. Although the Governor has revealed his list of appointees to the public, many of them still need to be confirmed by the Senate and could face some serious roadblocks by the republican controlled Senate. If approved, Shapiro’s executive office will have a diverse, experienced and bipartisan makeup at the state level. Among the firsts are Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, the first African American Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, Dr. Laurel R. Harry, the first female Secretary of the Department of Corrections, Richard Negrin, the first Latinx appointed as the Secretary of Environmental Protection and Akbar Hossain, the first person of American Asian Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent appointed as executive director of the governor’s transition team and is continuing on as the Secretary of Policy and Planning. In addition, Shapiro has brought on veteran republican politicians such as Mike Vereb, the future Secretary of Legislative Affairs and former State Representative from Montgomery County, and Tom Cook, State Fire Commissioner and previous Lieutenant Fire Commissioner and Assistant Chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire.

Shapiro has repealed a previous state employment requirement of a minimum four-year college degree. The playing field has now been opened to 65,000 non-college educated Pennsylvanians for 92% of all state employment opportunities. This is a wonderful opportunity for the roughly 70% of Pennsylvanians without a bachelor’s degree, according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, consisting largely of traditionally marginalized Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) populations within the state. The governor’s repeal was modeled after similar actions by the governors of Maryland and Utah in recent months as states struggle to find employees to fill state positions. According to the Pennsylvania State Office of Administration, most full time state jobs include health and disability insurance and a pension. This will help to create a social safety net and expand upward social mobility for thousands who otherwise would not have had such an opportunity.

However, the first two weeks of the Shapiro Administration have not been entirely controversy free. According to Spotlight PA, on Jan. 20, 2023, Shapiro reversed former Governor Wolf’s gift ban restriction on the Executive Branch. Wolf’s predecessor, Governor Corbett’s administration, was rocked by a corruption scandal in the twilight years of his administration when it was revealed by the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Corbett family had accepted dark money from lobbyists while running for office. The Wolf Administration attempted to implement reforms designed to clamp down on Pennsylvania’s extremely lax campaign finance laws. Wolf implemented a near total ban on state employees taking cash, event tickets, travel and other large gifts. Shapiro has rolled back these reforms, allowing state employees to accept plaques or certificates for awards; promotional gifts such as pens, mugs, t-shirts and calendars; and gifts of nominal value to mark a significant life event such as marriage, illness or retirement. State employees will be required to take an ethics course and sign an integrity pledge.

The Shapiro Administration remains torn between his base that supports green energy and reducing fossil fuel dependence and a large and influential Natural Gas Industry in the state. Unlike his predecessor Wolf, on the campaign trail Shapiro stopped short of throwing his support for Pennsylvania to join eleven other eastern states in the cap-and-trade program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. So far, the Governor has remained ambiguous on his specific environmental policies, but Shapiro has indicated his desire to prioritize climate more than any predecessor before him and he has added several climate activists as advisors on this issue. This is just a small glimpse into the infancy of a truly landmark administration in Pennsylvania’s history as evidenced by the new Governor’s shake up of traditional state government.