HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — State Treasurer Stacy Garrity says that her agency doesn’t have the authority to pay for the security upgrades done at the private home of sitting Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA). Garrity says that state rules prohibit her from doing so.
Garrity said that procurement rules do not permit public funds to be used for construction work on private property, such as Shapiro’s house. Garrity, a Republican, will likely face Shapiro, a Democrat, in November’s gubernatorial election after the primary election in May.
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The work was done after Shapiro and several members of his family faced a violent attack at the governor’s mansion last April, when an assailant burned the historic structure and came within feet of the governor’s private quarters while his family slept.
Cody Balmer, 38, broke into the governor’s mansion, setting it on fire on the second day of Passover, just hours after the Shapiro family hosted a celebration of the Jewish holiday.
Balmer told officials that he removed petrol from a lawnmower and poured it into beer bottles to make the Molotov cocktails that he used in the attack. He admitted to “harboring hatred toward Governor Shapiro.”
Shapiro’s wife, four children, and family guests, as well as staff members, were all in the home at the time. All were able to escape in spite of how close Balmer got to the family suites.
Balmer, who referenced “Palestine” in a phone call after the attack, said that he would have beaten the governor with a hammer, according to an affidavit.
Garrity’s decision comes at a turbulent time. Just one year after Shapiro and his family were attacked, and just days after a would-be assassin allegedly attempted to murder President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The state treasurer, an independent elected official in Pennsylvania, told reporters last week that state procurement rules prohibit public money from being used for construction work on private property.
Garrity is expected to win the May primary for the Republican gubernatorial nomination and then challenge Shapiro in November.
Shapiro isn’t without options, however. But they are complicated, including the ability to have the state legislature authorize the payment through the annual budget.
A Lehigh Valley state senator, Jarrett Coleman, said in a statement last week that he plans to introduce a legislative solution within the next week. By Monday, a memo had gone out, but the language had not yet been reviewed.
The governor’s office said that Pennsylvania State Police officials recommended the upgrades to Shapiro’s private property following a vigorous review of security protocols after the attack. The state police even hired an outside contractor who assessed the changes needed to protect the governor.
Spotlight PA reported last week that the security upgrades at the governor’s private home were carried out under the emergency construction provisions in the state’s procurement, which lays out the process and procedures that state agencies must follow to purchase goods and services and execute construction projects.
On Monday, all living former Pennsylvania governors — Democrats Tom Wolf and Ed Rendell, and Republicans Mark Schweiker, Tom Corbett, and Tom Ridge — released a joint statement regarding the first family’s safety.
“This weekend, the President faced yet another assassination attempt. Last year, Governor Shapiro and his family faced an unspeakable attack while they were sleeping in the Governor’s Residence. Combatting political violence and keeping our elected officials safe should always be nonpartisan and a priority. For us, the attack on Pennsylvania’s First Family was particularly upsetting. In the aftermath of that attack, we ask the state’s current leaders and legislators to make the safety and security of the Governor and his family a priority.”
