https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2022/12/pa-governor-josh-shapiro-transition-republicans-school-choice/?fbclid=IwAR38mOfSG1NIo8lyhax_Co9nfFbokDwssVkXqKCHJp28Qwk7gV1BzMKCReMThe transition team helping governor-elect Josh Shapiro prepare for office is wide-ranging and, in some cases, controversial, offering a glimpse into the way he hopes to govern the commonwealth and court members of the GOP in the legislature.
The team of nearly 300 people includes lobbyists, activists, attorneys, executives, and former elected officials, and not all are obvious choices for a Democratic administration. There are, for instance, policing advocates who want more aggressive law enforcement, people seen as hostile to public education, and a number of prominent Republicans.
But there are also prison abolitionists, public education activists, patient advocates, and progressive labor organizers.
Larry Ceisler, a public affairs executive, said the range of political persuasions reflected in the group is intentional, and that it’s useful to have influential people who are invested in the administration’s success on both sides of the aisle.
“There is somebody sitting on that transition committee who is going to go back to a regular job, and then two years later something will happen, and then that person will be engaged,” Ceisler said.
Shapiro, who built a broad coalition in the election to beat Republican challenger Doug Mastriano by a sizable margin, will have to walk a fine line. Progressives will be looking for him to deliver wins on major Democratic issues in return for their support, while Republicans will be seeking to advance their priorities in return for allowing any of Shapiro’s to move.
In short, it’s going to be hard to please everyone.
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