Ray's Round Up: 2016 Election Preview – Pennsylvania Row Offices

During a year when so much attention is focused on the Presidential Election and the Federal Government, statewide offices in Pennsylvania might be overlooked by some.  However, the positions of Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer are important to all Pennsylvanians. These independent state agencies serve key functions that are not within the responsibilities of the Governor or General Assembly.

An important factor about these offices is the word “independent”.  Although the occupants of these offices may be from the same political party as the Governor or the leadership of the General Assembly, they do not report to or take direction from either of those two bodies of Government.  The budgets of all three offices must be approved by the General Assembly and Governor, however, there is a checks and balances system in place.

Unfortunately, two of these three offices have been mired in controversy in the past four years.  The previously elected State Treasurer, Rob McCord, resigned in January of 2015 after pleading guilty to federal extortion charges.  Timothy Reese was nominated by Governor Wolf and confirmed by the Senate to serve as State Treasurer until a new State Treasurer is elected in November and inaugurated in January 2017.  Similarly, Attorney General Kathleen Kane resigned in August of 2016 after her conviction of perjury charges.  Bruce Beemer was recently nominated by Governor Wolf and confirmed by the Senate to serve the remaining months of her term of office.

In our last Round Up, we promised to examine Pennsylvania’s political offices. Starting this week, we will be talking about the Attorney General. Here is a quick review of the functions of this office, issues of concern handled by this office, and the major party candidates on the November ballot.  It is important to note that AARP Pennsylvania does not endorse candidates for public office nor contribute to the campaigns of any candidate.

Attorney General

The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement official in the Commonwealth.  The Attorney General represents Pennsylvania in all legal actions brought by or against the Commonwealth and also prosecutes crimes such as public corruption and organized crime.  The Office of Attorney General is also responsible for the civil enforcement of laws pertaining to consumer protection and charities.

The consumer protection role is critical for many Pennsylvanians who fall victim of scams and fraud.  The Bureau of Consumer Protection takes complaints from Pennsylvanians and investigates complaints that are filed by the public.  The Bureau also pursues actions against those identified as committing fraudulent acts.

An issue for the next Attorney General will be how they will work to protect the public from the increasing number of scams.  Although the Attorney General cannot enact new laws, they can work with the General Assembly and make recommendations on legislative approaches and enforce the laws already enacted.  The Attorney General also has a bully pulpit on these issues, and through education efforts can help to alert the public on how to avoid scams and fraud. Elections for this office are held every four years and an individual is limited to two consecutive terms in office.

Here are brief introductions to the two major party candidates for Attorney General, with links to their campaign websites where you can learn more about their ideas to enhance consumer protection should they be elected Attorney General.

John Rafferty - John Rafferty serves as State Senator in Pennsylvania’s 44 ^th District, which consists of parts of Berks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties.  He was first elected to this office in 2003 and has been re-elected three times.  Immediately prior to his election to the State Senate he was an attorney in private practice.  He also served as Deputy Attorney General for Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1991 and was a member of the Methacton School Board from 1980 to 1984.  He is the Republican candidate in this year’s Attorney General election.

Josh Shapiro  - Josh Shapiro serves as Chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.  He was first elected as a Montgomery County Commissioner in 2011 and won re-election in 2015.  He also works as an attorney at Stradley Ronan, a Philadelphia Law Firm.  Immediately prior to his election as Commissioner he served as a Pennsylvania State Representative from 2004 to 2012.  He also worked as a legislative aide to a number of Representatives and Senators in Washington, DC.  He is the Democratic candidate in this year’s Attorney General election.

 

“Ray’s Round Up” features updates on current state and federal issues by Ray Landis, AARP PA’s Advocacy Manager.