{"id":174294,"date":"2026-04-23T22:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/174294\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T22:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T22:19:12","slug":"pennsylvania-treasurer-says-no-to-taxpayers-footing-1m-in-security-upgrades-at-shapiros-home-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/174294\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania treasurer says ‘no’ to taxpayers footing $1M in security upgrades at Shapiro’s home"},"content":{"rendered":"

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) \u2014 Pennsylvania’s treasurer refused Thursday to approve payments for more than $1 million in security systems and other upgrades to the private home of Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a>, changes that were made after an intruder set fire<\/a> to the state-owned governor’s residence last year in an attempt to kill the Democrat.<\/p>\n

The treasurer, Republican Stacy Garrity, said there is no legal authorization to use taxpayer dollars to reimburse contractors for the security upgrades on private property, even the private home of a governor.<\/p>\n

The Pennsylvania State Police submitted the reimbursement requests to the Treasury Department but \u201cappear to have simply ignored the statutory limits and restrictions on spending and procurement,\u201d Garrity said during a news conference in her offices.<\/p>\n

The state police have other options to get taxpayer dollars to underwrite the work, which has already been done. The agency could ask lawmakers to explicitly authorize the payments or enter the state’s settlement process for disputes between contractors and state agencies, Garrity said.<\/p>\n

Shapiro, who is considered a potential top-tier contender<\/a> for the White House in the 2028 presidential election, is running for reelection<\/a> this year for a second term as governor. Following last year’s attack, he emerged as a prominent voice in condemning political violence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Garrity is expected to be Shapiro’s main opponent<\/a> in the fall election. She is both endorsed by the state GOP and uncontested for the GOP nomination in Pennsylvania’s May 19 primary election.<\/p>\n

The treasurer said the decision wasn’t political and that \u201cI don\u2019t play these kind of political games.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Shapiro’s office blasted Garrity’s decision as a \u201cshameful political action without legal basis\u201d and said the state police were exploring options to ensure it protects its authority and that the contractors get paid.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d the governor’s office said in a written statement.<\/p>\n

Garrity said the security and well-being of public officials and their families is of the \u201cutmost importance\u201d to her and that \u201can attack on the governor is an attack on all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, she said, her department does not have the legal authority to issue the payments.<\/p>\n

The security upgrades at Shapiro’s home were something of a secret until his administration informed lawmakers about it in a letter last fall. In it, the Cabinet official in charge of state property told lawmakers that \u201cthe threat to a high-profile elected official like Governor Shapiro does not end when he leaves the Governor\u2019s Residence.\u201d<\/p>\n

State officials haven’t detailed those upgrades, citing safety reasons. Shapiro, his wife and two of his four children still live in the private residence, in Abington, a Philadelphia suburb.<\/p>\n

However, plans for a security fence there spawned dueling lawsuits between the Shapiros and a neighbor over who rightfully owns a sliver of land abutting the two properties.<\/p>\n

So far, the Treasury Department said Thursday it has paid more than $26 million in security upgrades and remediations at the governor\u2019s state-owned residence in Harrisburg, where the Shapiros often stay. Those renovations included an \u201canti-climb\u201d iron fence that is much higher than the one scaled by the intruder, Cody Balmer.<\/p>\n

Balmer last year pleaded guilty<\/a> to the attempted murder of Shapiro. Under a plea deal, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison, far less than he could have faced if the case had gone to trial.<\/p>\n

He climbed over a 7-foot (2-meter) iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded two state troopers stationed at the residence and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to set fire to the residence, just hours after Shapiro had hosted a Passover Seder to celebrate the first night of the Jewish holiday.<\/p>\n

The fire forced Shapiro, his wife, children and members of his extended family to flee, as firefighters battled the blaze. The residence, built in the 1960s along the Susquehanna River about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) north of the state Capitol, was badly damaged, but has since been renovated.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow Marc Levy at http:\/\/twitter.com\/timelywriter<\/a><\/p>\n