March 20 Clumsy clemency firings

Advocates for more humane, just and cost-effective ways to grant pardons and commutations in Pennsylvania were understandably concerned after Lt. Gov. Austin Davis fired two commutations specialists who had themselves received commutations from life sentences in 2019. George Trudel, 56, and Naomi Blount Wilson, 72, were hired by former Lt. Gov. John Fetterman to serve as liaisons between his office and the more than 5,000 state prisoners serving mandatory life sentences in Pennsylvania.

Their departures, effective Feb. 28, could suggest that the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro is less committed to clemency for prisoners who have turned their lives around, and who could better serve Pennsylvania in the community, instead of in prison, where they each cost taxpayers more than $40,000 a year.

Mr. Davis raised the temperature further when he refused to comment on, or even acknowledge, the firings. He refused to take responsibility for them, even though his name was on the letterhead of the separation letter. Even more ludicrously, his office refused to answer a routine question about who has the authority to hire and fire employees of the board, suggesting Mr. Davis, a former state representative, isn’t ready for prime time.

One of his few official duties as lieutenant governor is chairing the Board of Pardons, which hears applications for clemency. Commutations reduce sentences; pardons eliminate convictions.

The optics of the firings are bad, but they don’t necessarily mean Mr. Davis and

Gov. Josh Shapiro are less committed to clemency, or the real value ex-offenders bring to any process that affects prisoners. Poor work performance could have precipitated the dismissals. The public doesn’t know whether Mr. Davis unceremoniously dumped the two employees, through no fault of their own, without thanking them for their service or bidding them farewell, as Mr. Trudel alleged. …

Mr. Davis’s clumsy handling of the dismissals of two people who exemplified the importance of second chances, and undoubtedly brought a valuable perspective to the clemency process, doesn’t mean the board will not function more effectively and efficiently than ever under the Shapiro Administration. To make sure it does, however, the Board of Pardons will need more scrutiny from legislators and the public in the coming months.