Mike Vereb, 56, a top official and longtime ally of Governor Josh Shapiro, abruptly resigned this week. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, he had been accused months earlier of sexually harassing a fellow administration employee.
Vereb, who is from Montgomery County, served as Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs and has been linked with him for decades. They served together in the state legislature, Vereb chaired the Montgomery County GOP committee during Shapiro’s tenure as a county commissioner, and Vereb was appointed to Shapiro’s staff when he was elected attorney general in 2016.
An excerpt from The Inquirer’s article:
Vereb’s accuser, who worked for him for less than two months before resigning her position in March, said he repeatedly made sexual advances toward her and lewd remarks about other staffers and a female state senator. Ultimately, the accuser alleged, when she reported his behavior to higher-ups in Shapiro’s office, Vereb retaliated against her.
“I was uncomfortable with how Mike was acting in the office — his constant sexually charged comments, and how he was addressing work-related issues,” the woman said in a March 22 statement to investigators with the state Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, part of the executive branch. The statement and a separate complaint that the accuser filed with the independent state Human Relations Commission in June were both obtained by The Inquirer this week.
Vereb was named in a complaint filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission on May 26, according to a document obtained by Spotlight PA. Details alleged harassment dating back to February, soon after the start of Shapiro’s administration.
An excerpt from Spotlight’s article:
According to the complaint, Vereb allegedly made inappropriate, lewd, and sexually suggestive comments to the staffer, and retaliated when they objected. The staffer said they shared their concerns about Vereb with Human Resources representatives and Shapiro aides in March, shortly before leaving their position.
Following Vereb’s resignation Wednesday, the governor’s press office issued a statement confirming the departure and saying that Vereb would be officially replaced in early October. The statement made no mention of the allegations or the complaint.
Vereb reportedly declined comment to both sources.
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Photo: Gov. Shapiro’s transition team via Spotlight PA