It’s part of an effort spearheaded by Coleman, R-Lehigh, to audit the NIZ, the city’s one-of-a-kind tax subsidy zone that includes part of Hamilton Street and the Lehigh riverfront.

“In July, the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee issued a subpoena directing the Secretary of Revenue to provide tax records regarding the Allentown NIZ. Those records were to be provided to the Senate Majority Counsel by August 16th,” said a memo from Coleman’s office. “The Secretary of Revenue failed to comply with the subpoena and stated that legislative oversight was not an ‘official purpose.’ ”

Coleman and 10 co-sponsors on Wednesday introduced the Senate resolution, which outlines the official framework of contempt proceedings. It directs the sergeant-at-arms to bring Browne to the Senate chamber for the proceedings.

If Browne were convicted of contempt, he could be sent to Dauphin County jail until he produces the requested documents, according to the memo.

The resolution has been referred to the body’s Rules and Executive Nominations Committee. The chairperson, Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, is a co-sponsor.

The Senate unanimously approved the NIZ audit in December 2023.

Jeffrey A. Johnson, Department of Revenue communications director, said Browne responded to the subpoena Aug. 16 with a 34-page letter. It said that while the Department of Revenue acknowledges the committee’s authority to issue the subpoena for specific taxpayer information, the department remains precluded by law from disclosing such information.

“We will continue to monitor the resolution as it moves through the legislative process,” Johnson told The Morning Call.

According to Coleman’s office, if the resolution is voted out of committee, it would be voted on by the full Senate. If it passes, the sergeant-at-arms would bring Browne to the chamber within three days, and he could provide testimony under oath to address the resolution.

Afterward, a second resolution to hold him in contempt could be introduced in the Senate. It would need a simple majority to pass.

Coleman, who defeated Browne in the 16th Senate District Republican primary in 2022, has been trying to open the books on the NIZ since taking office. Browne helped craft legislation to create the NIZ as a state senator in 2011.

Coleman said this provision would bring to light specific sources of revenue for the NIZ. Specifically, it would repeal changes made to the Fiscal Code of 2021 by Browne that added words including “reports” on taxes to a section defining “confidential information.”

The Department of Revenue has declined to provide a more detailed breakdown of the NIZ because of those confidentiality concerns.

The Morning Call’s attempt to obtain that information was struck down by a Commonwealth Court judge, citing the language inserted into the fiscal code bill.

Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.

As chair of the Moore Township Zoning Board, he’s well aware of the growing development in the Lehigh Valley and is sympathetic to the region’s housing shortage. However, he considers the township to be unique, with its own features and problems to solve.

And while rural townships are certainly different from Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton or suburban townships such as Whitehall, Lower Macungie and Forks, even they each have their own unique aspects.

“Every municipality is different,” said Ayers, who has been on the zoning board for more than 15 years.

That’s why Ayers is not happy with legislation to change zoning laws that is making its way through the state House of Representatives. Two bills are sponsored by Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh.

House Bill 2045 would allow multifamily housing by right on land zoned for single family housing. Meanwhile, HB 1976 would legalize by-right housing in areas currently zoned office or commercial.

Both bills were referred to the Rules Committee in early June.

“All I’m trying to do is make a community, make all of our municipalities, all of them just more friendly for people, more walkable, more enjoyable, more affordable,” Siegel said.

The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors has come out in opposition to both bills because it says they would take zoning decisions out of the hands of townships.

“Under the guise of ‘affordable housing,’ this legislation would force communities to accept a developer’s building scheme conforming to Harrisburg-mandated density,” the organization wrote last week. “These bills override any local land use authority, dictating that multi-family housing can be built ‘by right’ anywhere that is currently zoned commercial or zoned for single-family homes.”

The association said the options listed in the bills are already available to municipalities and many use them without a statewide mandate.

What the legislation would do

Siegel said the idea is to address the housing shortage in the Lehigh Valley and the rest of the state.

According to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, the region is short 9,000 units, a number that is expected to increase by 1,300 per year. More than half of renters and 25% of homeowners are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs.

“We have three choices,” Siegel said. “One is we can continue to build as we have, which is more suburban sprawl, more subdivisions and single family homes further away from jobs and opportunity, and those homes will be exceedingly expensive. They will cost more to maintain. Individual taxpayers will pay more over time. We will use up our open space and our farmland faster than we can possibly preserve it. We can build new housing, we can basically shut the door and we can make the Lehigh Valley so expensive and so cost prohibitive that we become like San Francisco, where you know, if you don’t have a million dollars, you can’t afford a house.”

The legislation, Siegel said, will address some of the more restrictive housing practices that have driven up costs. Developers would be encouraged to build where there’s existing housing density.

“They’re trying to argue that it will add density where people don’t want it and the reality is I’m trying to put density on top of existing density,” Siegel said. “I’m trying to concentrate on people where there’s already infrastructure, where there’s already roads and water systems, and not add new costs for taxpayers.”

Market factors would eventually determine whether something is built.

“This is by-right development, which means the developer can do it without having to seek zoning, but there still has to be demand and infrastructure and underlying capacity,” Siegel said. “Look where the housing is being built. It’s being built in South Whitehall, it’s being built in the Macungies. It’s being built in Allentown to some extent as well, not necessarily single-family homes or traditional homes, but the housing is being built in the communities where there’s market demand.”

Despite opposition from groups such as the township supervisors association, supporters of the legislation cross the political spectrum, including the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, developer trade groups, affordable housing advocates and smart growth backers.

However, Ayers said a ‘one size fits all’ law for zoning would not work in places such as Moore. He said community members, regardless of political affiliation, work together to make it a better place.

“Because what will work in Upper Macungie, it won’t work here,” he said. “That’s why you should leave it in the hands of the people that go to the meetings on a monthly basis, who know what these problems are, listen to the residents about what’s going on and develop a long-term strategy about how we all know.

“I’m a Democrat. I also know that without growth, you have a stagnant economy,” he said. “But I don’t believe a rush to develop land is the answer because you usually end up with more messes than what you began with.”

‘Just add to the problem’

Ayers remains suspicious that developers would be empowered to develop land but leave townships holding a bill.

“I have been on the zoning boards for 15 years, and I’ve been the chairman for the past five or six,” Ayers said. “The one thing that I have learned, if you look up under state law, developers do not have the responsibility to do off-site improvements, which means if they come in and they buy 200 acres of land and they put in 50 homes, they’re not required by law to do anything with an intersection that’s a half-mile down the road, even though everybody knows that it’s going to cause a traffic nightmare.

“High-density housing would just add to that problem,” he said. “I’ve seen it time and time again, with other communities where developers come in, put in all these homes, and then there’s a traffic nightmare. And it takes PennDOT a while to do something.”

He pointed to another example: There’s also a lack of public water and sewer in Moore; water is drawn from an aquifer.

“They’re going to tap into the aquifer to supply water for all these townhouses and if the aquifer runs dry, the surrounding neighbors have no legal recourse,” Ayers said. “If it runs dry, it runs dry. They can’t go after the developer.”

Dave Sanko, executive director of the township supervisors association, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the bills would be a gift to developers.

“It’s not unusual that builders and Realtors don’t want there to be any rules,” Sanko told the newspaper. “They want to be able to do whatever they want. But that’s not what drives the cost of housing.”

What can be done?

Ayers said a simple solution is to build smaller, cheaper homes.

“I understand Mr. Siegel’s issue with the housing shortage,” Ayres said. “To me the problem is not the housing shortage, it’s that they’ve been building the wrong types of houses. For probably 20 years, they’ve been building these little castles. Years ago, the average home was maybe 1,500-1,700 square feet and then it goes to 2,000. Then it goes to 2,500. And it’s up to 3,000. Homes that are out there are so expensive, because they’re so big. If they would just scale back the size of the homes and make them more affordable, you wouldn’t have a housing crisis.”

That’s easier said than done, as more expensive, bigger houses, also known as “McMansions,” bring a bigger profit.

“For the first-time homebuyer, you’re seeing McMansions because [developers] have to build those in order to make a profit at the end of the day, because of the cost and expenditures that they’re making,” Realtor Jack Gross, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Cassion Realty, told The Morning Call in 2023. “So that’s one thing that’s affecting first-time homebuyers and the affordability index.”

Siegel said municipal opposition to easing zoning restrictions is contributing to higher home prices.

“I think if you are a proponent of farmland preservation, open space preservation, lowering the cost of housing for our young folks who we educate in the Lehigh Valley — and actually want to make sure that they can afford to live here when they graduate high school and college — or you’re a senior that wants to downsize,” Siegel said, “the municipal opposition to these bills is directly contributing to more expensive housing prices. It is pricing families out of the Lehigh Valley and it’s making the Valley a place that only the wealthiest of wealthy can afford.”

But as the legislation moves forward, Ayers said borough and township officials from across the state will continue to dig in.

“I just don’t think this Mr. Siegel is in tune to what this is all about,” he said. “He’s trying to address the problem and I think he’s going to make a big mistake trying to force me to do this because I’m telling you right now the people in Moore Township are upset with this. They don’t want high density housing out here.”

Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.

The ideas are part of a seven-bill election reform package that Boscola, a Northampton County Democrat, says she will introduce in Harrisburg.

Dozens of election-related concepts already have been pitched by lawmakers in the form of memos since the Dec. 1 technical start of the new legislative session. They range from Democratic Sen. Wayne Fontana’s proposal for an all-mail voting system to Republican Rep. Russ Diamond’s proposal for a return to having nearly everyone vote in-person.

But Boscola’s ideas may have a better-than-average chance at gaining traction.

She has a history of crossing the aisle to vote with Republicans, and it was her bill that eventually became Act 77 of 2019, the sweeping election reform that started widespread mail balloting.

Specifically, her proposals would:

Set a minimum number of drop boxes that counties must provide, create a grant program to give counties money to operate a suitable number of drop boxes, and permit an immediate family member, member of the same household or caregiver to put a ballot in a drop box.

Allow voters to fix mail-in ballot discrepancies, including problems with their signature, and provide election officials with FBI training to enhance their ability to verify signatures.

Eliminate the need for a secrecy envelope for a mail ballot.

Change the term “permanent” in state law when used to refer to mailing lists for absentee and mail-in ballots to “annual.”

Drop boxes set off controversy in Lehigh County last year, when District Attorney Jim Martin reported at least 288 voters illegally dropped more than one ballot into a box in the November 2021 election. In the runup to the November 2022 election, the state made specific efforts to teach voters they cannot drop off someone else’s ballot unless they have a “designated agent form.”

That form is used, for example, in a situation where a person’s disability prevents a trip to the drop box or election office.

Requests for reactions to Boscola’s ideas drew muted responses, in part because the Legislature is off to a slow start — the House is at a standstill because of political disagreements over rules — and new Gov. Josh Shapiro took office less than two weeks ago.

A Shapiro spokesperson declined comment on Boscola’s proposals.

Republican Sen. David Argall of Schuylkill County said Pennsylvania residents are concerned with how elections are conducted.

“With a new governor now in office, I hope we can develop measures to improve the integrity of our elections that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can all agree to,” Argall said. “It’s way too early to determine if any of Sen. Boscola’s bills will meet that challenge.”

House Republicans’ spokesperson Jason Gottesman said he would not comment directly on Boscola’s ideas until she files bills.

Nicole Reigelman, a spokesperson for House Democrats, said they support “measures that make it easier and more convenient to vote.”

Reigelman added that Democrats believe drop boxes are an important tool to help more Pennsylvanians participate in elections, and “making it easier to use secure drop boxes should be among the reforms the Legislature considers in the 2023-24 legislative session.”

Boscola said her ideas came from her role on a bipartisan special committee that heard testimony on elections in other states, a just-released report on mail-in ballots, and “what I hear when I go out in public.”

Having a uniform system for drop boxes statewide is important, she said, and nearly a dozen other states already allow other people to drop off a voter’s mail ballot.

Boscola said she was not “married to these bills” and was willing to discuss changes to the package, which she said included ideas she hasn’t seen in other proposals “that need to happen.”

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com

The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania on Monday called for a health care workforce council to be established, led by a chief health care talent officer.

Ongoing shortages include a 32% vacancy rate for nursing support staff, a 32% vacancy rate for respiratory therapists, and a 31% vacancy rate for registered nurses, according to HAP. It said Pennsylvania has a worst-in-the-nation shortfall of 20,345 registered nurses.

“Government leaders, educators, and the health care community must work together to support, attract, educate, and train the health care professionals needed to care for Pennsylvanians,” HAP President and CEO Andy Carter said in a statement.

The call from HAP came less than a week after Shapiro was sworn into office, but after years of growing recognition that Pennsylvania’s shortages are dire.

HAP’s data showed:

The shortfall of 277,711 nursing support staff in Pennsylvania is the third most severe in the nation, and the shortfall of 6,330 mental health professionals also is third worst.

From 2019 to 2022, vacancy rates for nursing support staff — certified nurse assistants, personal care assistants and nurse aides — increased from 31.5% to 32.3%.

Certified registered nurse practitioners’ vacancy rates increased about 10% in the same time period, respiratory therapists’ vacancy rates went from about 20% to 32%, and medical assistants’ vacancy rates increased from 30% to 42%.

HAP said it wanted a “mutual commitment” from Shapiro, the Legislature and hospitals to prioritize health care talent infrastructure, support workers and strengthen the health care community.

Shapiro’s spokesperson, Manuel Bonder, said the governor is aware of the health care worker shortages and “knows the critical importance of bringing people together to tackle our workforce development challenges.”

Bonder said Shapiro “will be taking direct, proactive action toward addressing this crisis.”

In an unrelated move Tuesday, Shapiro said he signed an executive order to establish the Pennsylvania Office of Transformation and Opportunity, as well as the Economic Development Strategy Group.

In a news release, Shapiro said the office would be “a one-stop-shop for businesses looking to grow and will work to aggressively reignite Pennsylvania’s economy — fostering innovation, supporting transformational economic development, and creating real opportunity for businesses and workers alike in our Commonwealth, particularly in communities that have too often been left behind.”

Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Northampton County Democrat, said the pandemic made it clear hospitals and nursing homes are short-staffed and “we needed to do more to help recruit and retain talent.”

In 2021, former Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a Boscola bill intended to qualify more nurses for licensure by letting Pennsylvania join a multistate nurse licensure compact.

“There are a host of other compact bills I am advocating for the state to join,” Boscola said.

She and Washington County Republican Sen. Camera Bartolotta are pushing fellow lawmakers to approve a bill to let certified registered nurse practitioners work independently, jettisoning the requirement for collaboration agreements with physicians.

Wayne Reich Jr., president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, said the main focus should be on reasons nurses leave their jobs.

“They come out of nursing school, they see what the conditions are like, and they leave the profession,” Reich said.

Hospitals, Reich said, could have mitigated the worsening staffing crisis during the pandemic by offering a “pandemic stipend” to staff nurses, who many times quit hospital jobs to take better-paying positions as travel nurses.

Nonetheless, Reich said, “This was happening before the pandemic started. The pandemic made everything worse.”

Cheryl Schlamb, president of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, said the Boscola-Bartolotta bill would help.

“People are going to drive across the state line and work where they can apply their skills with limited restrictions,” Schlamb said.

She spoke in positive terms of HAP’s proposal.

“If we can stop the bleeding and get young people to stay in this state and do the work that is needed, that is great,” she said.

Asked about HAP’s proposal, Dr. F. Wilson Jackson, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, said it supports any effort to develop the health care workforce, adding the society is particularly concerned about the mental health of health care workers who toiled through the pandemic.

The Lehigh Valley’s two major health care systems, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s University Health Network, could not immediately provide data on vacancies in particular staff areas.

LVHN spokesperson Brian Downs said, “LVHN is experiencing staffing challenges similar to other health care and non-health care organizations in the region. This data shows why it is so important throughout the industry to recruit and hire qualified candidates.”

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com.

Yeager and others have smelled gas odors in the air near Hale and West streets in recent days, not far from piles of rubble that remain from a May 26 home explosion at Hale Street and Butler Avenue that killed five people.

Authorities have not disclosed the cause of the explosion, although both natural gas and propane have been cited as possibilities.

As a result, many residents feel they have had no closure and live in fear.

On Friday, Joanne Murray — who said she smelled gas nearly every day for the past two weeks outside her home at West and North Washington streets — said she was terrified.

“I am afraid we are going to blow up,” Murray said. “It is very draining to feel that way.”

Not far from her front door on Friday, workers from PECO — the Exelon subsidiary that provides gas service in the area — used heavy equipment to dig deep below street level at West and North Washington streets.

PECO spokesperson Greg Smore said the company “responded to a foreign odor call” in the vicinity of Hale and West streets. Company practice, he said, is to “assess the situation as soon as possible and ensure it is safe. Our crews are currently addressing the situation.”

Marc and Tracy Chalcraft, who live at Hale and West streets, purchased gas odor detectors for the inside of their home on Thursday after they smelled gas in recent days.

“If there is no leak, explain why we are smelling gas,” Tracy Chalcraft said. “The silence from officials is frustrating. People died and we want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

On Thursday, the Chalcrafts said, a heating contractor who came to their home on a routine service call said that as soon as he got out of his truck, he smelled gas in the air.

On Friday, when Yeager approached the PECO crew on West Street, she smelled gas in the air. A reporter walking next to her also smelled it.

At least six vehicles from PECO lined West Street, about a block from the rubble left by last year’s explosion.

A spokesperson for Pottstown was not immediately available for comment.

The explosion occurred about 8 p.m. on the Thursday evening before Memorial Day. A duplex home at 453-455 Hale Street was destroyed, killing four children and an adult who lived at 453 Hale.

Federal, state and local agencies have been involved in the multiple investigations that remain open, but no agency has given a full update for the neighborhood since the weeks just after the explosion.

The Pottstown fire chief has said both natural gas and propane were under scrutiny as possible causes.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that propane distributor AmeriGas confirmed one of its tanks was at the home that exploded. A spokesperson has said the company is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Michael Budner, an attorney who represents the family that lost five members, said this week he anticipates filing a lawsuit but final details are not clear.

“We have not received any sort of conclusive findings from any federal or state agencies,” Budner said.

He said the investigation is looking into “all possible causes” of the explosion and those would include natural gas and propane.

The Morning Call has interviewed about 20 people who smelled gas in the area in the months and years before the May 26 explosion. The newspaper obtained public records that showed callers to 911 in Montgomery County reported gas odors in Pottstown 127 times in the 29 months before the blast.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a key agency in the investigation. Last month, a spokesperson said, “The investigation is not completed, as we are still waiting for things out of our control, which we cannot specify at this point.”

Frustrated lawmakers

The combination of silence from investigating agencies and constituents who are scared or nervous has frustrated state lawmakers who represent the working-class neighborhood.

“People should not be living in fear in their homes,” said Republican Sen. Tracy Pennycuick of Montgomery County. If many months have passed, she said, and “people are still smelling gas, there is a bigger problem.”

Pennycuick said she spoke to borough staff and they are “just as frustrated as we are” with the lack of information.

Democratic Rep. Joe Ciresi of Montgomery County said he was waiting to hear from ATF after requesting information.

“I am frustrated, too,” he said.

“There are a lot of people who are nervous who live in that neighborhood,” he said. “Your patience begins to run thin.”

Budner, the attorney, said investigators have been using a wheeled ground-penetrating radar device to get a view of subterranean features at the blast site, including underground crevices, utility infrastructure and tree roots.

All parties involved in the investigation, he said, have hired a drone operator to take aerial video of the ongoing work “to document the way things are being done at the site.”

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com

The 49-year-old Democrat from Montgomery County beat Republican challenger Doug Mastriano during the 2022 general election in a race that caught national attention.

“It does make me, and all of us in Montgomery County, very, very proud that one of our own is going to serve us so very well,” said U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th District.

Where it started

Shapiro spent decades in politics, his road to the governor’s mansion beginning in Montgomery County.

He grew up in Dresher, where he first met Marcel Groen, longtime chair of the county Democratic Party. Groen’s daughter Jennifer was friends with Shapiro and his now-wife, Lori, throughout his schooling at the Perelman Jewish Day School and the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy.

Groen characterized Shapiro as a serious, intelligent, well-mannered and respectful child.

“Believe it or not, he really hasn’t changed,” Groen said.

Shapiro went on to the University of Rochester, graduating in 1995. He then headed to the nation’s capitol to work for congressional members on the Hill. There, he caught the attention of newly elected Rep. Joseph Hoeffel, D-13th Dist. When assembling his staff, Hoeffel directed Frank X. Custer, his communications director at the time, to meet with Shapiro about a legislative director position.

“We didn’t have a lot in common, but we hit it off immediately,” Custer said. “It was clear to me from the minute I met him that this was a serious person … and incredibly bright, and I came back, and I told Joe that, and he hired him.”

Dean met Shapiro years before she entered the political arena herself when she paid a visit to Hoeffel’s office to discuss a proposed piece of legislation focusing on bicycle safety.

“I just remember a bright, super bright young man that seemed like he was in a place where he ought to be,” Dean said.

Shapiro advanced after Custer recommended him for Hoeffel’s chief of staff. Custer said support for that promotion came from staff working in the Pennsylvania congressman’s office. Custer recalled, “it was just a recognition by a lot of people in a short period of time that he was special.”

Custer said Shapiro was a serious man with “gravitas” who “exuded confidence at that young age” while working for Hoeffel.

From staff to officeholder

In 2003, Shapiro decided to head back home to Montgomery County and run for a seat in the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s 153rd House District. He won in 2004, going on to make an impression on other local legislators for his nonpartisan approach to politics.

Todd Stephens, a former Republican representative for the 151st Legislative District, got a call from Shapiro the day after he won his seat. He and Shapiro had breakfast soon after. Shapiro gave Stephens some helpful tips and tricks to help him get settled in his role.

“He was just very helpful in terms of the practical side of what to expect as a new legislator,” Stephens said of his meeting with Shapiro.

They had some overlap in Harrisburg together for about a year. During that time, Republicans held control of the state’s House of Representatives. Stephens said he spoke with Shapiro early in his political career about criminal justice legislation that he recommended Stephens introduce.

“He understood the dynamics of the Legislature at the time, and it wasn’t important to him whose name was on the bill, it was important to him to get the bill done, and so if it meant having a Republican on the top of the bill, then so be it. If that’s what it’ll take to get it done, let’s do it,” Stephens said. “I just think that really speaks volumes about the way he works.”

Personable from the start

Former Montgomery County District Attorney and county Commissioner Bruce Castor met Shapiro at a government function in Harrisburg. Castor said Shapiro sat down at a table and started speaking with him “like we were long-lost friends.” They had some common ground, both growing up in Abington.

“I was impressed with his energy and his friendliness and that he would obtain a position of importance in the government at such a young age … I liked him right away,” Castor said.

Shapiro was an early supporter of Barack Obama, whom he met while campaigning for Obama before the 2008 presidential election. At that time, much of the county’s Democratic Party backed Hillary Clinton for the nomination.

“Josh was really the only well-known player in my opinion who supported President Obama, and I know they became friends very early on, and he had a really good relationship with him,” Groen said.

Back to Montco

After years in Harrisburg, Shapiro contemplated returning to Montgomery County once again, this time to run for a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

“Josh had ambition, was looking ahead and he knew that an important aspect of being an attractive candidate in the future was that he needed executive experience, and you don’t get that in a legislative body,” Custer said. “So when the opportunity came up to run for county commissioner in 2011, he took it.”

Shapiro campaigned with running mate Leslie Richards and won.

“It was very obvious from early on in the campaign how gifted he was,” said Richards, who went on to become secretary of transportation in Gov. Tom Wolf’s Cabinet and now heads SEPTA.

The election created a Democratic majority for county government. Castor served as the minority Republican commissioner.

“He was very good at solving problems, and we had a lot of problems, so he never ran out of things to do. I was extraordinarily impressed by him as county commissioner,” Castor said of Shapiro.

Trust and teamwork

Tackling the county’s financial situation created a bond between the three commissioners. Castor recalled watching Shapiro’s problem-solving in action.

“He would identify a problem, or one of us would identify a problem, and he would come up with a way to deal with the problem, think it through, come up with a set of procedures that we would have to do to attack the problem, and defeat it,” Castor said. “He was a master at that, and I always figured that it had to do with him having been trained in the Legislature and having worked in committees and working across the aisle with groups of people.”

Castor and Richards recalled Shapiro’s governing strategy to assign areas of county government based on each commissioner’s interest and expertise. Richards had experience working with assets and infrastructure and the planning commission. As a former district attorney, Castor knew his way around public safety and court matters. Shapiro dealt with social services and other government reforms.

“I think that was really the recipe for the great relationship that we shared,” Richards said, adding that strategy helped to build trust as each listened to the other and gave their recommendations for different subjects.

“We challenged each other, but we trusted each other, and I realized now how rare that is when you have three people governing,” Richards said.

Among other things, Shapiro sought to revamp operations and financial practices during his time as chair of the board. Custer was the county’s communications director at the time.

“He’s an incredibly honest person with great character, and as a politician, he marries the ability to seek consensus but then also the courage to make tough decisions,” Custer said.

Shapiro also worked to set meeting agendas and ensure his colleagues were “on track” to accomplish their goals.

“He’s a very gifted chairman. He’s a very gifted executive,” Richards said. “Getting to consensus is not only something he’s very gifted at but it’s very important to him, and so every time we would have a unanimous vote, which was pretty much every vote we took while the three of us governed together, very few exceptions,” she continued. “We all tried to work toward that, and we knew how important it was to Josh, and we also knew how important it was to Montgomery County.”

‘Fighting for the right things’

Working as chair essentially made Shapiro “the mayor of a county of 800,000 people,” Groen said.

“He loved it, and from that moment in, you could see the trajectory,” Groen said.

Seeking higher office, Shapiro was elected Pennsylvania attorney general in 2017. There he focused on “fighting for the right things,” Dean said, taking up a number of initiatives around child abuse and the opioid crisis. Taking the next step forward, he announced his campaign for governor in October 2021.

Dean was with Shapiro at Penn State-Abington the day he kicked off his bus tour.

“I thought this is a man you want in public service because of his character,” Dean said. “He is somebody who is a man of his faith, and deeply rooted in the tenets of his faith that we must do for others. I’m a Catholic, he’s Jewish, and yet we both share that passion for our faith, for how it informs us, how we treat others, especially those with less than we have. I always admired that.”

Stephens agreed.

“His character is impeccable. I trust him,” he said. “I think he’s an honest broker, and I think he genuinely wants to work to get things done, to improve the lives of people in Pennsylvania, and is willing to work with anybody who is willing to work with him to that end.”

While Shapiro, wife Lori and their four children live in Abington, Dean witnessed what she described as an enthusiasm to get a complete sense of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

“You could see through the campaign that he wanted to know people of every county, to learn from people of every county and of every political persuasion,” Dean said.

Shapiro defeated his Republican challenger in November with 56.49% of the vote.

“Josh will take actions,” Groen said. “Josh will do things in the governor’s office that others have not been willing to tackle, and at the end of the day, you won’t always agree with him, but you will realize that you have somebody actually at work in that position, in that office.”

Those who know him expect good things to come out of the governor’s mansion.

“He’s very bright, and he’s a terrific strategic thinker, and that applies whether you’re a state representative, a county commissioner, an attorney general, or a governor. You’ve got to have a vision, and you’ve got to be able to develop the plan, and the strategy to achieve that vision,” Stephens said. “Josh has been able to do that at each step of the way along his career, and I think it served him well and I’m hopeful it will serve the people of Pennsylvania well.”

Recalling Shapiro as a congressional aide back in 2003, Custer said, “I thought he could be the first Jewish president. I still am in the running for that.”

The ceremonies in the ornate Senate chamber were to be followed at midday in another location by the inauguration of Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro.

Davis, a Democrat, is the son of a McKeesport hairdresser and a bus driver who grew up in the Mon Valley in western Pennsylvania. He later was elected to the state House of Representatives.

“The American dream is alive and well in Pennsylvania,” Davis told the crowded Senate chamber.

He said his grandparents — who included a steelworker and a railroad foreman who moved to the state from the Jim Crow-era South — would not in their “wildest dreams” believed their grandson would one day hold the second-highest office in the state.

The oath of office was administered by Allegheny Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, who noted that he was a model for “all the little boys and girls in Pennsylvania just like you” and urged him to “just be humble.”

Clark told Davis that everyone present got to where they are with the help of others.

Davis studied political science at the University of Pittsburgh. He got a job in government as senior advisor to the Allegheny County executive, and then in 2018 mounted a successful run for the House from the 35th District.

During his four years in the House, he was vice chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee and served on a number of committees, including Appropriations, Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Transportation.

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com

The former state House member, Montgomery County commissioner and attorney general became the 48th governor about two hours after his running mate, Austin Davis, was sworn in as the state’s first Black lieutenant governor.

Shapiro, a Democrat, chose freedom as a main theme as he described his mindset in trying to improve the state.

One definition for “real freedom” is “where everyone gets a shot and no one is left behind,” Shapiro said, and he credited the stories of everyday people with giving him tremendous motivation.

“Your problems have become my priorities,” Shapiro said. “Your stories and your courage stay with me.”

Lehigh Valley Democrats reacted with enthusiasm.

Shapiro’s repeated references to inclusivity struck a chord with Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk.

“As a majority Latino city, we are looking for leaders who see us,” Tuerk said, and he praised Shapiro’s “understanding of urban areas.”

Allentown Democratic Rep. Peter Schweyer said Shapiro had “a very clear vision of the commonwealth moving forward.”

Fellow Democratic Rep. Mike Schlossberg, of South Whitehall Township, said he liked the application of the message of freedom to people seeking the best education possible, to individuals seeking fulfilling jobs, and to businesses seeking opportunities.

Democratic Rep. Josh Siegel of Allentown said the talented new governor could provide a pivot point away from “tribal warfare” among politicians. Newly elected Sen. Nick Miller of Allentown, another Democrat, said Shapiro showed “energy and motivation.”

Republican Sen. Jarrett Coleman of Upper Macungie Township, who took office two weeks ago, said the “devil is in the details” for Shapiro.

“I am eager, as are many constituents of my district, to learn if Gov. Shapiro will make good on his campaign promises,” Coleman said. “I look forward to seeing Gov. Shapiro advance school choice in Pennsylvania, delivering power to parents, and delivering on his promises.”

Shapiro was sworn in by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd under a cloudy sky, with several former governors, two U.S. senators, numerous state lawmakers and special guests in a seating area close to the podium.

Pennsylvanians, he said, want good schools, safe communities, an economy that gives people a chance and uplifts them, and a stance against extremism.

Citing the 150-year journey taken to win the right to vote for women and the many years it took to abolish slavery, Shapiro called the U.S. democracy “a constant work in progress.” He pointed to William Penn’s founding of the then-province of Pennsylvania on the concept of religious tolerance, and indicated the same tolerance must be kept at the forefront now.

“As a people, we are committed to progress,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro’s first words after he was sworn in included expressions of love for his wife and children. He told his wife, Lori, “I love you, baby.”

He called his Cabinet — led by Lehigh Valley native Chief of Staff Dana Fritz — the “most well-qualified and diverse set of public servants in our history.”

Lt. Gov. Davis

Davis is the son of a McKeesport hairdresser and a bus driver who grew up in the Mon Valley in western Pennsylvania and eventually was elected to the state House of Representatives.

After he took the oath as the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, Davis told the Senate, “The American dream is alive and well in Pennsylvania.”

He said his grandparents — who included a steelworker and a railroad foreman who moved to the state from the Jim Crow-era South — would not in their “wildest dreams” have believed their grandson would one day hold the second-highest office in the state.

The oath of office for Davis was administered by Allegheny Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, who noted that he was a model for “all the little boys and girls in Pennsylvania just like you” and urged him to “just be humble.”

Clark told Davis that everyone present got to where they are with the help of others.

Davis studied political science at the University of Pittsburgh. He got a job in government as senior adviser to the Allegheny County executive, and then in 2018 mounted a successful run for the House from the 35th District.

During his four years in the House, he was vice chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee and served on a number of committees, including Appropriations, Consumer Affairs, Insurance and Transportation.

The Shapiro-Davis administration takes control of the executive branch of state government as the legislative branch faces an unprecedented challenge.

The state House has been rendered inactive by partisan disagreements since a new speaker, Democratic Rep. Mark Rozzi of Berks County, was sworn in Jan. 3.

The Senate, on the other hand, has held results-producing debate and voting sessions.

Without the House functioning, progress on potential laws of all types is slowed. An illustration of that fact came late Friday, when the Senate canceled sessions during the weeks of Jan. 23 and Jan. 30 in part because the House had not organized itself.

Rozzi has appointed a small bipartisan work group, including Schweyer, to seek agreements between the clashing political parties, which have been unable to agree on rules for conducting business in the chamber. The group met Tuesday for the first time.

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com.

Here’s how to watch and what else to know about the ceremony:

How to watch

Numerous television stations across the state will be streaming the ceremony live, including PCN.

You can watch online via PA Cast’s livestream, which will also be available on mcall.com.

What time does it start?

The ceremonies get under way at 10 a.m. with the historic inauguration of Davis as lieutenant governor. The main ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., culminating with Shapiro’s swearing in as governor at noon.

Where is the inauguration taking place?

The main ceremony is being held outside the Capitol’s East Wing. The Pennsylvania Capitol Complex will be closed during the inauguration, but the main Capitol building will be open to the public.

Davis’ swearing in will take place in the state Senate Chamber.

What Bibles will Shapiro be sworn in on?

Shapiro will use three Bibles when he is sworn in, according to news reports. One of them holds special significance: It is from the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed in a mass shooting in 2018.

The second Bible was provided by the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. It was carried by Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient Herman Hershman, who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day during World War II.

The third is the same family Bible that Shapiro has used each time he’s been sworn into office since 2005 – first as a state representative, then as a Montgomery County Commissioner, and later as state attorney general.

Who will be performing at the inauguration?

Scheduled performers include the Lincoln University Choir, African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Choir, Pittsburgh Youth Chorus and the Hazleton Area High School Marching Cougars.

The Pennsylvania State Police Honor Guard will present colors.

What guests will be on stage for the inauguration?

The Shapiro-Davis Inaugural Committee has announced that the following guests will join Shapiro for his swearing in:

Juliann Bortz of Lower Macungie Township and Mary McHale, survivors of childhood priest sex abuse. Bortz was abused by a priest at Allentown Central Catholic High School during the 1960s. Shapiro’s investigation of priest abuse culminated in a 2018 statewide grand jury report.

Dorothy Johnson-Speight and Michelle Kerr Spry, gun violence prevention activists who lost their children to gun violence.

Michelle Kenney, the mother of Antwon Rose, who worked with the attorney general’s office to launch a statewide police misconduct database.

Brandon Short, Penn State alum and former NFL player who lost his daughter to gun violence.

Tyrone ‘Cakes’ Sims, a 40-year volunteer basketball Coach in Southwest Philly who met Shapiro when he attended a workshop Tyrone hosted for young Black men who’ve been victims of gun violence.

Donna Jacobsen, a mother whose daughter is recovering from substance abuse.

Danielle Chesney, who shared her story about her decision to have an abortion to save her life.

Jarrod Bets, owner of Mr. Vic’s Family Styling in Lancaster, where Shapiro visited during the campaign to hear about the challenges his small business is facing.

Tom Wheeler, a former Philadelphia police officer and a lifelong Republican who voted for Shapiro.

Stephanie Mack and Brittany Sisca, the wives of Pennsylvania State Trooper Martin Mack and Trooper Branden Sisca, who were killed in the line of duty last March.

Tim Lewis, a Glenn O. Hawbaker employee who was a victim of wage theft but got all of his money back as a result of Shapiro’s work on the largest Davis-Bacon wage theft case in American history.

Will there be an inaugural ball?

Yes. The official inaugural ball is being held in Lancaster County at Rock Lititz, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Who will be performing at the ball?

Headlining the performances are Wiz Khalifa, known for his Pittsburgh Steelers anthem “Black and Yellow, and Motown legend Smokey Robinson.

Mt. Joy, an indie rock band with roots in Philadelphia, will also perform during the inaugural celebration.

A lot is at stake.

The Pennsylvania House represents half the lawmaking machinery in Harrisburg. Without it functioning, progress on potential laws — affecting everything from education to law enforcement to elections and taxes — will be slowed.

That was illustrated Friday afternoon when the Senate canceled sessions during the weeks of Jan. 23 and Jan. 30 in part because “the House has not yet organized their chamber” and “our options for fully addressing legislative issues are limited,” said a spokesperson for Republicans who hold a majority in that chamber.

The group who might suffer the most are victims of child sexual abuse waiting for the legal right to file lawsuits against long-ago abusers.

They are a top concern of Speaker Mark Rozzi, who took the top job in the House on Jan. 3 and is a child abuse victim himself.

He announced the group of six earlier this week. Its charge is “breaking the partisan gridlock and proposing a path forward for the House” to finally amend the state constitution to allow lawsuits by those victims.

The proposed amendment is likely the top issue for the House. Others include Rozzi’s political party status, making rules to allow the House to operate, and even the ability of House members to get used to the fact that their chamber is very closely divided.

The group of six has been dubbed “Speaker’s Workgroup to Move Pennsylvania Forward.”

Schweyer said he hopes it can accomplish its task next week.

“There is no reason the seven of us, including the speaker, can’t figure this out,” he said.

Other members are Democratic Reps. Morgan Cephas of Philadelphia and Tim Briggs of Montgomery County, and Republican Reps. Valerie Gaydos of Allegheny County, Paul Schemel of Franklin County and Jason Ortitay, whose district includes parts of Allegheny and Washington counties.

Schemel sounded a positive note this week when asked about the future of the House, given the closeness of its current 101-99 Republican advantage and the real possibility Democrats could have a 102-101 advantage in the near future after three vacant seats are filled.

A Pennsylvania court ruled Friday that special elections to fill the three vacancies in Democratic-leaning state House districts will be held next month.

Schemel said a new dynamic might be in place between the parties with “hanging-by-a-thread” majorities.

“There is a possibility for a different path forward,” he said. “I think members will start to reflect on, ‘Well, what can we get done?'”

On Tuesday, the group will start talking about rules that might get the House functioning in special session again.

No real action has taken place since the 115-85 vote that elevated Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, to speaker on Jan. 3.

Breakdown over rules

Gov. Tom Wolf called for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the long-pending constitutional amendment to help bring justice for child sex abuse victms.

When Rozzi called that special session to order on Monday, it immediately broke down without rules.

Rep. Mike Schlossberg, a South Whitehall Township Democrat, said examples of must-have rules include ones on the makeup of committees, how amendments are carried out, and whether votes have to be simple majorities or two-thirds.

Rozzi took over the chamber pledging to function as an independent, even though he was still registered as a Democrat. He faced a situation where Republicans and Democrats had no agreement on rules.

“There were clearly two different versions of the rules, but neither version was so outlandish you couldn’t compromise,” Schlossberg said.

Repeated attempts to reach Rozzi or a spokesperson in his office were not successful.

The constitutional amendment

There’s a time crunch concerning the proposed amendment.

Proposed constitutional amendments have to be approved by the Legislature twice, in different sessions, and then approved by voters. The proposed amendment cited by Wolf was passed last session, and if lawmakers can approve it soon — Wolf has used the date of Jan. 27 — it can be placed on the May 16 primary election ballot.

Schlossberg is doubtful, because of the ongoing disagreements.

“I do not envision a scenario where this gets on the May ballot,” he said.

Mike Straub, spokesperson for House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler, said Cutler “has made no secrets that he wants to address these constitutional amendment questions in as timely a manner as possible.”

A significant complication is that there are two bills that include the same proposed constitutional amendment.

The one referred to by Wolf is a standalone, one-amendment bill. The outgoing governor said the “very tight schedule can only be accomplished under the specific circumstances of a single, straightforward amendment.”

On Wednesday, though, the Senate passed a package of several proposed constitutional amendments, including the one on child sex abuse lawsuits and another on voter ID.

The Senate vote was 28-20, with Northampton County Democrat Lisa Boscola joining all Republicans voting in favor of the package.

Straub said Republican House members don’t necessarily embrace the Senate action.

“We never said we were desperate to put it in a package,” Straub said. “That is something they have done.”

It was, he said, one more reason for the House to get back into gear.

Late Friday, Lehigh Valley Republican Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and his mother Milou Mackenzie issued a statement that said they were among 20 House members who sent a letter to Rozzi asking him to call the House into session to consider the amendment package.

Rozzi political registration

An intriguing question among the 200 House members is Rozzi’s future in the top spot.

He was elected to the top position with the support of 16 Republicans, including Cutler, and was nominated for the spot by Blair County Republican Rep. Jim Gregory.

But Gregory earlier this week called for Rozzi to resign the position, saying he had broken a promise to switch his political registration from Democrat to independent — a promise that won support from some Republicans to elect him.

“It was the agreement,” Cutler said of the switch referred to by Gregory. “We supported Rep. Gregory when he brought this idea forward.”

Schlossberg said he has seen no sign Rozzi intends to make the switch.

“He has told members that his intention is to remain a Democrat,” Schlossberg said.

For Schweyer, the question of Rozzi’s political affiliation is important.

“But what really matters is what we are able to do in the next two years,” he added.

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com