Former PA governors issue statement calling for Shapiro family’s safety following Treasury’s rejection of $1M security bill | Shapiro appoints PA’s first energy affordability watchdog

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Abington , All Around | Politics

April 27th, 2026 | By Ryan Genova

Pennsylvania’s living former governors released an official statement today in response to Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s announcement last week that the State Treasury declined to pay for over $1 million in security upgrades to Governor Josh Shapiro’s private residence in Abington Township, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The statement was signed by former governors Tom Wolf, Tom Corbett, Ed Rendell, Mark Schweiker, and Tom Ridge, and calls for lawmakers to ensure the safety of Shapiro and his family.

“Combatting political violence and keeping our elected officials safe should always be nonpartisan and a priority,” the governors wrote. “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.”

Garrity told The Inquirer that while she agrees with the former governors in rejecting all forms of political violence, paying the bill for the security upgrades would “conflict with responsibilities defined in the state constitution.”

Garrity’s statement continues below:

At the same time, my responsibility as State Treasurer is clear and limited by law. The Treasury does not currently have the legal authority to pay for security improvements to a personal residence, in fact, doing so would conflict with responsibilities defined in the state constitution. That is not a political judgment, it is a legal constraint that applies regardless of who holds office. Also, it’s important to note that security upgrades have already been made to the Governor’s private home – this isn’t about the improvements, it’s about having the legal authority to pay the bills and that simply does not exist.

I don’t think that the former Governors’ statement was about me or the legal requirement prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being spent on upgrades to the Governor’s personal home. I do however believe that they are suggesting that politics should never play a role in decisions of security for the Governor or any elected official and on that we all agree. In that same narrative, we can take threats seriously and support security without disregarding the legal boundaries that govern how public funds are spent.

The full governors’ statement is below:

Shapiro, who was subjected to political violence last April at his Harrisburg residence, posted the following in response to the shooting incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner over the weekend:

In related news, today Shapiro appointed public interest attorney Mark Szybist to serve as special counsel for energy affordability as part of Pennsylvania’s first energy affordability watchdog.

“I’m proud to appoint Special Counsel Szybist to serve as Pennsylvania’s newest watchdog on energy and utility affordability,” Shapiro said. “During a time when Pennsylvanians are faced with rising costs across the board, I have complete confidence in Mark’s ability to hold utility companies accountable and protect hardworking Pennsylvanians from predatory rate increases. I look forward to working with him to ensure we are delivering for the good people of Pennsylvania.”

“I am honored to serve as Pennsylvania’s first Special Counsel for Energy Affordability and humbled by the trust Governor Shapiro has placed in me,” Szybist said. “I have spent my career standing up for consumers and as Special Counsel, I will work hard alongside partners like the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate to hold utility companies accountable and protect Pennsylvanians from needless cost increases. As I begin this work with Governor Shapiro, we’ll continue to have Pennsylvanians’ backs.” 

You can read the full press release here.

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