Pennsylvania taxpayers are poised to spend more than $1 million on security upgrades at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private home, and a GOP lawmaker wants to make sure they eventually get their money back.
Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill of York County acknowledges in a new memo that such improvements are “often vital to keep elected officials safe,” mentioning the firebombing at the governor’s official residence earlier this year.
However, as questions mount about public spending on Shapiro’s home security, Phillips-Hill released a Dec. 16 legislative proposal she argues will make sure these investments are fiscally responsible. The wording of the bill — which she’s calling “the Safeguard Act” — hasn’t yet been released, but she outlined its broad strokes in the memorandum.
Shapiro has said the upgrades to his personal home are an unfortunately necessity in the current climate of political violence.
“I think it is sad that we live in a world where a governor or any other elected official needs to fortify their home in order to keep their kids safe, in order for their kids to have a catch in the backyard,” he told reporters during a Dec. 16 news conference. “But that’s where we are.”
What would the proposal do?
Her legislation would place a lien on homes that have received state-funded security upgrades or renovations. That way, when the property sells or transfers ownership, the state would recover the money it invested in the site, according to the memo.
“This mechanism ensures that the public interest is preserved and prevents a private property owner from realizing a tax-funded increase in property value without providing a reasonable method for cost recoupment back to the state,” the memo explains.
Why are people upset over safety project at Shapiro’s home?
An extensive safety upgrade project has been ongoing at the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg in the months since an arsonist entered it under the cover of darkness in April and set it ablaze.
Shapiro and his family were asleep upstairs at the time and escaped the burning building unharmed.
In addition to more than $32 million in improvements at the official residence, the state has also been paying for upgrades at Shapiro’s family home in Montgomery County. Spotlight PA has reported that the estimated costs total about $1.1 million.
Republican lawmakers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly have criticized the governor’s administration for a lack of transparency about this spending, and in early December a GOP senator issued several subpoenas to press for more information.
“This is about setting a precedent,” state Sen. Jarrett Coleman of Lehigh County said in a statement. “No administration — Republican or Democrat — should be allowed to operate in the shadows when public funds are involved.”
How does Shapiro respond to these concerns?
In response to a question about his home security upgrades, Shapiro said they were happening at the advice of the Pennsylvania State Police and Department of General Services. He also noted that his administration asked for guidance from the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission to “make sure it was all being done properly.”
However, Spotlight PA has noted that the commission released its opinion on the project in October, after work at Shapiro’s home was already in progress.
But Shapiro dismissed GOP concerns about the spending, characterizing it as a partisan ploy.
“I think that’s pretty shameful to try and score cheap political points at the expense of my family’s safety. But that speaks to their character, not mine,” he said.
