12/11/25

Pennsylvanians are generous people. We pay our taxes. We support public safety. We understand our elected officials require security. But what we will not accept — and what we must never accept — is a government that spends our money as if it belongs to them while keeping the public in the dark.

Yet that is precisely what is happening under Gov. Josh Shapiro.

For months, legislators seeking basic information about taxpayer-funded renovations at both the Governor’s Residence and the governor’s private home have been met with stonewalling. State agencies slow-walked responses, withheld documents and provided incomplete answers. Only now — after subpoenas were authorized — are we learning just how much this administration has concealed from the public.

And the truth is troubling.

State police have now acknowledged more than $32 million in upgrades to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. That figure alone should cause every taxpayer to pause. But hidden beneath this staggering number lies something even more disturbing: an additional $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars spent on renovations to the governor’s private residence in Montgomery County.

No public announcement. No briefing. No notification to the General Assembly. Nothing.

We learned of this only because legislators began asking questions.

Sen. Jarrett Coleman, who has led the push for transparency, put it plainly: no administration — Republican or Democrat — can be allowed to operate in the shadows when public money is involved. He’s right. If we shrug this off, we set a dangerous precedent that hands every future governor a blank check: spend what you want, where you want and don’t bother telling anyone why.

That is not oversight. That is not transparency. And it is certainly not leadership.

Let’s be clear: security concerns are legitimate. The arson attack earlier this year was reprehensible, and those responsible must face justice. But using a crisis as a shield to hide spending is not acceptable. The question is not whether improvements were needed. The question is why the public was never informed and why this administration refused to release even the most basic records until legally compelled.

The subpoenas issued this week seek straightforward, reasonable documents:
* The independent security assessment that supposedly justified these expenditures.
* All contracts, invoices and communications regarding the construction work.
* Permits and zoning records tied to the renovations.
* And yes — body-camera footage from state police personnel present during that period.

There is nothing extreme about asking for documentation when more than $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars are spent on a governor’s private home.

Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve answers:

What was done?
Why was it necessary?
And why was it hidden?

This is public money — not campaign funds, not discretionary cash and certainly not a private renovation budget. At a time when grocery bills are up, energy costs are climbing and families are struggling to afford basic necessities, watching $1.3 million vanish into undisclosed construction at a private residence is not just tone-deaf — it’s insulting.

Shapiro has cultivated a brand of transparency, competence and public stewardship. But transparency is not a slogan. It is a practice. And right now, that practice is nowhere to be found.

This controversy is not about partisanship. It’s about stewardship.

It’s about whether we still believe elected officials owe their constituents honesty — especially when taxpayers are the ones footing the bill. If we do, we must reexamine whether current law is enough to protect both the governor and taxpayers at the same time.

Pennsylvanians deserve better than secrecy. They deserve better than evasive answers. And they certainly deserve better than unauthorized spending on private property with no oversight.

It’s time for Shapiro to come clean. Release the assessments. Release the invoices. Release the records. And restore the trust that was compromised the moment this spending was concealed.

Oversight is not optional. Transparency is not a burden. It is the minimum standard for anyone who serves the people of this commonwealth.

DOUG MASTRIANO
33nd DISTRICT

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