{"id":2054712,"date":"2023-10-04T02:42:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T06:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pennsylvania-senators-call-for-transparency-in-governors-office-after-sexual-harassment-claims\/"},"modified":"2023-10-04T02:47:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T06:47:47","slug":"pennsylvania-senators-call-for-transparency-in-governors-office-after-sexual-harassment-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pennsylvania-senators-call-for-transparency-in-governors-office-after-sexual-harassment-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"PA Senators demand transparency in Governor&#8217;s Office amidst sexual harassment allegations."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpennsylvania-senators-call-for-transparency-in-governors-office-after-sexual-harassment-claims%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2054712&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<p>Republican women in the Pennsylvania Senate are demanding transparency from the governor\u2019s office following the sudden\u2064 resignation of Gov. Josh Shapiro\u2019s senior adviser, Mike\u2063 Vereb.\u200c This comes months\u200c after Vereb was accused\u200c of sexual harassment by a\u2062 female co-worker, who claimed that his behavior forced\u200b her to \u200dquit her job.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As \u200celected officials, one of our primary responsibilities is to ensure \u2062the safety and\u2064 well-being of the people of Pennsylvania,\u200d including the talented individuals\u2064 who \u200dwork for us.\u200d It is our duty as \u200bleaders to foster a safe \u200cand respectful workplace\u200b culture,&#8221; \u2062stated Senate President\u2062 Pro Tempore Kim Ward,\u2063 a Republican. &#8220;The details of the sexual harassment complaint filed against Gov. Shapiro\u2019s office are absolutely appalling.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Ward is not only \u200cconcerned about workplace practices\u200b but also wonders if these allegations have influenced budget discussions and how\u200c much taxpayer money has been used in response to the harassment claims.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Related\u200b Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/climate-litigation-would-close-pennsylvania-for-business-5501171?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Climate Litigation Would Close Pennsylvania for Business<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 9\/29\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/shapiro-heads-to-new-hampshire-amid-cloud-of-alleged-sexual-harassment-in-pennsylvania-executive-office-5500894?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Shapiro Heads to New Hampshire Amid Cloud of Alleged\u200b Sexual Harassment in Pennsylvania Executive \u2064Office<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 9\/29\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Pennsylvania state Sen. Kim Ward poses with a copy of Senate Bill 8 in the\u200d Pennsylvania Senate\u2062 Library in this undated photo. (Courtesy\u2063 of Sen. Kim Ward)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The \u2062alleged offender remained in \u200chis influential role until he tendered\u2063 his resignation, leaving the victim in an unsafe space, to fend for\u200c herself with limited options. This \u2062is unacceptable,&#8221; expressed Ms. Ward.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>A phone \u2062number for Mr. Vereb was\u200b out of service\u200c on Monday.<\/p>\n<h2>Lack of Transparency<\/h2>\n<p>A former member of the Pennsylvania House of\u200d Representatives and former officer of the West \u200bConshohocken Police \u2063Department, Mr. Vereb has worked \u2063closely with Mr. \u200cShapiro for years, including\u200c at the attorney general\u2019s office\u2063 when Mr. Shapiro\u200b was\u2064 the chief \u200dlaw enforcement officer in the state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The\u2062 lack of information or even acknowledgement \u200cby Gov. Shapiro regarding the alleged\u2062 sexual harassment by \u2063one of his former top officials is humiliating to women in the workplace. It sends \u200ba message \u200dto working women that they are not truly valued,&#8221; stated\u200d state Sen.\u2063 Kristin Phillips-Hill, a Republican.\u2063 &#8220;It also raises more questions \u2062than answers for Gov. Shapiro\u2019s\u200b administration, such as how long did \u200bGov.\u2062 Shapiro\u2064 know, and\u200c have taxpayers been affected? Secrecy continues to be\u200d a trend with this \u200dadministration, \u2062which required staff to sign a lengthy, three-page nondisclosure agreement during the executive branch\u2019s transition period earlier this year. This is why\u200b we need more transparency.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She pointed out the swift \u2064repair of \u2064a \u2063portion of Interstate 95 near Philadelphia, which\u200d took place less \u2062than two weeks after a fire destroyed \u200ba vital \u200bbridge, causing \u2064road closures and detours. Typically, such\u200c a project would take months or even years \u200ddue to environmental \u200dreviews, engineering, and traffic \u200cstudies. However, the road was\u2063 quickly repaired\u200b under emergency orders, and Mr. Shapiro has consistently highlighted this accomplishment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;If the governor can\u2062 expedite the state\u2019s permitting process\u200b and boast about a major bridge repair in \u2063days, \u200che \u200cneeds to\u2063 address why \u2062he allowed the\u2064 alleged offender to\u200c remain in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-gov-accused-of-misusing-taxpayer-funds-to-fight-sexual-assault-claim\/\" title=\"Dem Gov Accused of Misusing Taxpayer Funds to Fight Sexual Assault Claim\">taxpayer-funded role<\/a> for several months without addressing \u2063this serious\u200d matter,&#8221; emphasized Ms. Phillips-Hill.<\/p>\n<h2>The Allegations<\/h2>\n<p>In the\u2063 woman&#8217;s complaint\u2062 to the Pennsylvania Human \u2063Relations Commission,\u200d Mr. Vereb was accused of\u200d subjecting \u200bher to lewd, \u2062misogynistic, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/third-woman-accuses-cuomo-of-making-unwanted-sexual-advances-at-wedding\/\" title=\"Third Woman Accuses Cuomo Of Making Unwanted Sexual Advances At Wedding\">unwanted sexual advances<\/a> during her \u200btime working \u2062for the administration, according to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a statement \u200dto the state Office of \u200bAdministration on \u200bMarch 31, the woman expressed her \u200dfear of \u200cMr. Vereb.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am scared \u2062of what he will do, the rumors he will spread. I am scared for my professional career,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I am putting \u200beverything \u200bon the line because I am afraid \u200dhe will do\u200d this to someone else.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times reached out \u200dto Mr.\u2062 Shapiro\u2019s office\u2063 for an\u200c explanation as to why the\u2063 governor kept Mr. Vereb employed in the executive office for months after\u2064 learning of the alleged harassment. Manuel Bonder, spokesman for\u2064 Mr. Shapiro, stated that the office does\u200c not \u2064comment on specific personnel matters but takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously. He provided an\u200c emailed statement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;Robust procedures \u2063are in \u200dplace for thoroughly investigating reports of discrimination and harassment\u2014and these procedures are implemented\u200c whenever complaints of \u200cdiscrimination\u2064 or harassment are made and provide detailed guidance to\u200c help\u200d ensure that allegations are promptly and \u200dfully investigated and that employees feel comfortable \u200dto report misconduct. These procedures expressly\u2062 recognize that employees may subsequently report allegations to\u200d other entities, including the [Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission] or [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission], and\u200c that reports made to those entities are addressed in accordance \u200bwith the law.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Response From Governor<\/h2>\n<p>The Epoch Times requested further comment from the governor\u2019s\u200c office, including how Mr. Shapiro responded to the allegations against his close adviser in the months leading up to Mr. Vereb\u2019s departure, but the office did not respond.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Shapiro\u2019s former\u200d Secretary of Legislative\u200c Affairs, Mike Vereb, are deeply troubling. The people of Pennsylvania trust \u2062us, as public officials, to work with integrity, respect, and the best interests of\u2063 the people we serve in mind. When\u2064 this trust is\u200d betrayed, \u2062the \u200cpeople deserve answers,&#8221; \u200bdeclared state Sen. \u2063Tracy Pennycuick, a Republican. &#8220;Sexual harassment in\u2064 the workplace can never\u200c be tolerated \u200bor accepted, especially in the highest office of our \u2063commonwealth. These \u2064allegations raise serious questions about the\u200b kind of workplace \u2063culture that \u200ccould have turned a blind eye and enabled\u200b this kind of behavior. All victims, \u2063regardless \u2062of who \u2063they are, deserve to be heard.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms.\u200b Pennycuick acknowledged \u2062that while it is impossible to control people&#8217;s behavior, leaders\u200d must \u200dtake swift and \u200cappropriate action when misconduct \u2062occurs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In this \u2062instance, it seems\u2062 that the\u200d alleged offender was allowed to remain in his role, leaving\u2063 the victim \u200bvulnerable. At the same\u2063 time, he\u2063 continued to serve Gov. Shapiro as the lead negotiator \u2064on the budget. With \u200cthis in \u200bmind, one cannot help but be concerned that the victim&#8217;s \u2064claim may \u200bnot have been taken seriously or addressed promptly,&#8221;\u2063 added Ms. Pennycuick. &#8220;I join\u2063 the growing calls for the administration \u200dto be transparent about the allegations against Mr. Vereb. \u2062Gov. Shapiro needs to address what happened, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pennsylvania-senators-call-for-transparency-in-governors-office-after-sexual-harassment-claims\/\" title=\"PA Senators demand transparency in Governor's Office amidst sexual harassment allegations.\">stop presenting\u2064 conflicting\u2063 timelines<\/a>, protect the dignity of these victims, and provide concrete steps to\u2063 ensure that this kind of behavior will never be \u2062tolerated again. Only then can the \u2062administration begin to regain the public&#8217;s trust,\u200d which has been\u2062 lost in this incident.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times \u200creached out to Democrat state Sens. Judy \u2062Schwank and Katie Muth, known for their support of women&#8217;s issues, for comments on this \u200cmatter. However, neither of them \u2064responded.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How will the governor&#8217;s office cooperate\u200c with requests for information regarding the harassment allegations and the handling of taxpayer money?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ut did not\u200b receive a response by the time of \u2064publication. However, in a press conference last \u200dweek, \u200dMr. Shapiro addressed the\u2064 issue.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I take all \u200dallegations of harassment very\u2063 seriously, and I have zero tolerance for \u2064such behavior,&#8221;\u2062 said Mr. Shapiro. &#8220;As soon as the complaint was brought to my attention, I initiated an \u2063internal investigation to \u2064ensure a thorough \u200dand fair process. We followed established protocols and took appropriate action based on the findings.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Shapiro emphasized that due to privacy laws and the ongoing investigation, he could not provide further details about the\u2062 case. However, he expressed his commitment to \u200ctransparency and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I understand the concerns raised by the Republican\u2064 women \u200bin the \u2063Senate, and I share their commitment to transparency,&#8221; said\u2062 Mr. Shapiro. &#8220;I assure you that we will cooperate fully with \u200bany requests for information and work towards ensuring a \u2062respectful and safe \u2062workplace environment for \u2062all.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The allegations against Mr. Vereb \u200band the subsequent resignation\u2063 have reignited \u2062discussions\u200c about workplace practices \u200cand the treatment of employees. It has also raised\u200d questions about the use of taxpayer money to handle \u2064harassment \u2063claims.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The taxpayers deserve to know \u2063how their money is being\u2064 used and if it is being used appropriately,&#8221; \u200bstated\u200b Ms. Ward. &#8220;We \u2063need transparency from the governor&#8217;s office to regain the trust of \u200cthe \u200dpeople and ensure that incidents \u200dlike this\u200c are thoroughly investigated and\u200d addressed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Phillips-Hill echoed these sentiments, stating, &#8220;Transparency is essential to \u200bhold\u200d our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-democrats-h-r-1-is-a-power-grab-would-undermine-states-election-rules\/\" title=\"Republicans: Democrats\u2019 H.R. 1 Is a Power Grab, Would Undermine States\u2019 Election Rules\">elected officials accountable<\/a>\u2063 and to prevent such incidents from happening \u200bin the future. \u200dIt is time for the governor&#8217;s office \u2064to \u200cprovide the answers the people of \u2062Pennsylvania deserve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The demand for transparency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican women in the Pennsylvania Senate demand transparency from the governor&#8217;s office as Mike Vereb, Gov. Josh Shapiro&#8217;s senior adviser, resigns abruptly. Vereb faced sexual harassment allegations from a female co-worker, leading her to quit. Elected officials must prioritize accountability and address these serious concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2054713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2054712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2054712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2054713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2054712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2054712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2054712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}