John Fetterman is not a typical Pa. politician
No one is ever going to confuse John Fetterman with most of the representatives we send to Harrisburg.
No one is ever going to confuse John Fetterman with most of the elected representatives we send to Harrisburg. He doesn’t look like them. He doesn’t act like them either.
Fetterman, the hulking former mayor of Braddock, Pa., first gained statewide recognition when he announced he wanted to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in 2016. He lost a Democratic primary race to Katie McGinty.
But he got noticed.
It’s hard not to notice Fetterman.
He stands out in a crowd, and not just because he stands 6 feet, 9 inches tall, sports a shaved head, salt-and-pepper goatee and several tattoos. He’s more comfortable in a black work shirt than a threepiece suit. The guy looks more like a biker or bouncer than a politician.
Fetterman won election as mayor of Braddock by a single vote in 2005, then was reelected to three more terms by focusing on economic issues that were crippling the oncebustling steel town.
Fetterman was not interested in a lot of the blather that surrounds so much of today’s political climate. He has a way of getting to the point. He’s about people and the issues that directly affect people’s lives. He talks about jobs and wages, and the many ways the economy is stacked against middle-class people struggling to make ends meet. He was an early proponent of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.
A lot of people snickered when Fetterman announced he would run for lieutenant governor, on the same ticket as incumbent Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf, who was seeking a second term.
The lieutenant governor’s position in this state is something of a joke in political circles. The most these people are asked to do is not cause trouble or make waves, something Fetterman’s predecessor, Mike Stack, could not do. Stack rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with his treatment of his staff. He lost a reelection bid in the Democratic Primary.
No one is ever going to accuse John Fetterman of being a joke.
Not surprisingly, soon after winning re-election in a landslide, Wolf decided to dispatch his new lieutenant governor on a statewide listening tour to gauge public sentiment on the prospects of legalizing the recreational use of pot. The state a few years back finally legalized medical marijuana, and Wolf admits his beliefs on the topic have evolved.
Fetterman visited all 67 counties during his threemonth road trip. He is now drafting a report for the governor and Legislature.
Fetterman said he was struck by the tone of the discourse, which reaffirmed his belief that residents want serious – and civil – discussion on public policies.
Just how different a public official is John Fetterman. The lieutenant governor is permitted to live in a beautifully restored, 2,400-square-foot residence at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Right now it is sitting empty. Fetterman decided not to move his family into public housing – albeit a restored gem. They remain in Braddock.
“We’re not going to reside in the mansion,” Fetterman said after winning election. “My wife and I envision, and the governor supports, some kind of public usage of it.”
This week he made good on his promise.
The mansion is empty – but it is not going unused.
One of the features of the home is a large pool. He’s opening it to the public. His wife, Gisele, will lead a swim safety program that will teach water safety and life-saving skills to children.
“We want children to visit the pool to learn life-saving skills and have a great experience,” Gisele Fetterman said. “Swimming comes with a painful legacy of racial segregation.
“If my children can swim in that pool, so should every child in Pennsylvania.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, is planning to introduce legislation to sell the estate.
He’ll get no argument from Fetterman. “The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania doesn’t owe me or my family a place to live,” Fetterman said.
Like we said, John Fetterman is not your normal Harrisburg politician.
We could use a lot more like him.