Garrity and Shapiro clash over security upgrades at governor’s private home

Controversy flared when Treasurer Stacy Garrity said that under state law, Pennsylvania taxpayers cannot pay for $1 million in security upgrades to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Montgomery County home.

The Shapiro family was attacked last year when the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg was firebombed as they slept after celebrating the Passover Seder. The state paid for $32 million for security upgrades for that property, which is owned by the state. 

“As I said in the aftermath of the arson — an attack on the governor is an attack on all of us. Consideration of the payment requests for the improvements at the governor’s official residence was pretty straightforward because we were guided by precedent and law,” said Garrity. 

“However, upgrades or improvements to the governor’s private home present a different issue. Treasury does not have the legal authority to use taxpayer funds for improvements to private property.”

Last week, “we notified the Pennsylvania State Police that Treasury has formally rejected the payment request for invoices related to construction improvements at the governor’s private residence.”

Garrity, a Republican, is likely to be the Democratic governor’s opponent this year. However, she said she made her decision based on what she is legally permitted to do, not because of politics.

On Monday, the Governor’s Office released a statement from all living former Pennsylvania governors, Tom Wolf, Tom Corbett, Ed Rendell, Mark Schweiker, and Tom Ridge.

“This weekend, the president faced yet another assassination attempt. Last year, Gov. Shapiro and his family faced an unspeakable attack while they were sleeping in the Governor’s Residence. Combating 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.”

“I agree with our former governors on one fundamental point: violence and threats against public officials have no place in our country,” Garrity said in response. 

“What happened to the Governor and his family was deeply disturbing, just as the recent assassination attempt on the president is unacceptable. These are not partisan issues — they are matters of basic safety and the rule of law.

“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,” she said.

The governor’s office disagreed.

“The state treasurer’s refusal to complete payments for work authorized by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to keep the governor and his family safe following an attempted assassination is a completely unprecedented and shameful political action without legal basis,” said Rosie Lapowsky, a spokesperson for Governor Shapiro.

“Pennsylvania State Police authorized these payments to fulfill a core mission of their duties – to protect the governor and his family after the governor’s Residence was firebombed and rendered uninhabitable for several months. PSP is exploring all options to ensure the State Police’s authority is protected and the vendors who completed this work are paid in full. The treasurer should put partisanship aside, follow the law, and show some humanity for a family that has experienced real trauma, the state troopers who protect them every day, and the vendors and workers who the treasurer has now refused to pay.”

Manuel Bonder, a spokesman for the Shapiro campaign, said, “This is an unprecedented, shameful political attack from Stacy Garrity – she is brazenly using the Treasury to go after the governor, his family, and the State Police after an assassination attempt. It is unbelievable, even for Garrity, who seemingly can always find a new low.” 

Garrity said the state legislature must approve an expenditure for security improvements on Shapiro’s private home before she can release the funds.

“We live in unprecedented times. Since the attack on the official residence, we’ve spent more than $32 million upgrading that facility,” said state Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-16), who chairs the Intergovernmental Operations Committee. “The challenge is that current law does not allow for tax dollars to be spent making modifications to private property, like the Shapiros’ personal home. I have been working for months on developing legislation in order to protect both the governor and taxpayers going forward and released a co-sponsorship memo today outlining how to make that happen.”

In the memo, released April 27, Coleman said, it calls for an “Executive Protection Oversight Board to ensure transparency, accountability and statutory compliance for executive protection activities conducted on an emergency basis at the Governor’s Official Residence, and, during the temporary uninhabitability of the Official Residence, specifically allow for emergency procurement to be used for private real property not owned by the commonwealth.” 

The PSP pushed back against Coleman.

“The Pennsylvania State Police is strongly opposed to any legislation that would limit law enforcement’s ability to act quickly to ensure the safety of Governor Shapiro and future governors. In this time of rising political violence, it is critical that the State Police are able to act efficiently and law enforcement recommendations remain in the hands of law enforcement, not elected officials.”

Linda Stein is an award-winning journalist who’s written for newspapers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Arizona. Before joining Fideri News Network, she was the news editor for Delaware Valley Journal. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Temple University and earned her undergraduate degree from Arcadia University. Contact her at lstein@fiderinews.com.