Josh Shapiro

sexual-misconduct · 2023-05 · A former employee in Governor Shapiro's Office of Legislative Affairs filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in May 2023 alleging that Mike Vereb, Shapiro's top legislative affairs secretary and a longtime political ally, repeatedly made sexual advances and lewd remarks toward her and about other staffers, and that he retaliated after she reported the behavior, forcing her resignation. Vereb abruptly resigned his cabinet-level post on September 27, 2023, shortly before the Philadelphia Inquirer reported details of the complaint. The Shapiro administration settled the claim for $295,000, with $250,000 covered by the taxpayer-funded state Employee Liability Self Insurance Program and about $45,000 paid from the governor's office budget. The settlement was signed August 31-September 1, 2023, and its terms were disclosed publicly in October 2023 following a Right-to-Know Law request. Neither Vereb nor the governor's office admitted wrongdoing or liability. The agreement included a nondisparagement clause and barred the woman from future employment in Shapiro's office or executive agencies. Subsequent reporting and Right-to-Know litigation (through 2025-2026) alleged the administration withheld emails and metadata related to its internal review of the complaint, and courts/the Office of Open Records have repeatedly ruled that additional related records must be disclosed, rulings the governor's office has appealed. · Settlement paid; no admission of liability by Vereb or the administration. Vereb resigned and did not return to state government.

Sources: Philadelphia Inquirer · Pennsylvania Capital-Star · Spotlight PA · WHYY · CBS Pittsburgh · Broad + Liberty

financial/corruption · 2025 · Following an April 2025 arson attack at the state-owned governor's mansion in Harrisburg, the Shapiro administration arranged for roughly $1 million in security upgrades, landscaping, and other exterior work at Shapiro's privately-owned family home in Abington, Montgomery County. In April 2026, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity refused to release the funds to pay the contractors who performed the work, stating the Commonwealth's procurement code does not authorize spending public money on construction at a privately-owned residence and that the administration had not followed appropriate contracting procedures. Attorney General Dave Sunday's office reviewed the dispute and agreed Garrity's legal reading was correct, but on June 12, 2026 approved a settlement authorizing payment to the vendors anyway, reasoning that they had performed the work in good faith and that litigation would likely cost taxpayers more. The AG's office stated its approval should not be read as an endorsement of the decision to use public funds for the private-home upgrades. · Settlement approved authorizing taxpayers to pay contractors roughly $1 million for work at the governor's private home, despite a determination that the spending lacked clear legal/procurement authority.

Sources: Spotlight PA · Spotlight PA · News From The States · Pennsylvania Capital-Star