Fresh faces welcome in state government

Pennsylvania’s new attorney general and treasurer must salve the scars of agencies riddled by corruption.

As the nation witnesses change in Washington, D.C., there is something of a new beginning taking place in the state capital as well.

Josh Shapiro last week took the reins of the state Attorney General’s office, thus becoming the top law enforcement figure in Pennsylvania.

Joe Torsella also takes charge of the state’s piggy bank, becoming the new treasurer.

The Democratic duo share something aside from party affiliation as they take up their new tasks. Both must salve the scars of agencies riddled by corruption and the public shaming – to say nothing of criminal convictions – of their predecessors.

Perhaps this spotlight will shine even more intensely on Shapiro, the former head of the Montgomery County commissioners. Shapiro becomes the fourth person to hold the title of attorney general since August.

And he must chase away the massive shadow draped over the office by Kathleen Kane, who skyrocketed to fame as the first Democrat and first woman ever elected to the post, only to flame out in spectacular fashion, convicted of leaking grand jury material, and then lying about it in an attempt to cover it up.

Kane eventually resigned the job upon her conviction and sentencing.

She was succeeded by her top deputy, another Montgomery County pol, former D.A. and commissioner Bruce Castor, and then by Gov. Wolf’s appointment, Bruce Beemer.

Torsella, a former deputy mayor in Philadelphia, as well as chairman of the state Board of Education and head of the National Constitution Center in Philly, now is the face of the Treasury Department. Likewise, one of his primary jobs will be wiping away the stain of his predecessor.

Democrat Rob McCord, who was first elected in 2008 and then re-elected in 2012, fell victim to one of the pitfalls of the job. In other words, he got caught with his fingers in the cookie jar.

He pleaded guilty to attempted extortion connected to a fund-raising scam.

Then there is that other obstacle, the state’s burgeoning deficit. He will be at the forefront of the fight to quell that beast.

Both men have showed promise in their first days in office.

Shapiro quickly acknowledged a “lack of faith in our justice system,” a clear slap at his predecessor.

Then he smartly pivoted to what many in law enforcement have identified as the No. 1 problem facing the state – the opioid and heroin scourge taking a horrific toll on seemingly every corner of the state.

With a nod to the slippery slope that tripped up McCord, as one of his first acts Torsella said he is banning contracts that pay third-party marketers for private money managers.

He correctly says the common practice undermines public trust and worse, does not result in better performance, adding unnecessary cost that comes out of the public’s wallet.

But perhaps more telling was something else Torsella did on the day he took office.

He did not take his oath amid the normal backdrop of the ornate state Capitol, or even the 1,800 seat auditorium in the Forum Building that also is part of the Capitol complex.

Instead he took his party to the people, in particular to a bunch of kids at a Harrisburg middle school, the Camp Curtain Academy.

Even more impressive is why.

Torsella wanted a reminder of why he ran – and what he hopes to achieve.

“I wanted a place that would be meaningful,” Torsella said, “to remind me of why I ran. I want to think of these kids when I go to work.”

It’s one of the reasons he plans to push hard for automatic savings accounts for every child in the commonwealth.

It’s all too easy to quickly lose focus on the state’s glaring problems as soon as you assume public office in Harrisburg.

Just ask Kathleen Kane and Rob McCord.

We welcome Shapiro and Torsella. We wish them every success in restoring the luster to their damaged departments.

Not just today. But every day.

And we urge a lot more of our elected representatives in Harrisburg to do likewise.