A women’s organization is asking Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign to consider Gov. Josh Shapiro’s record on sexual harassment as she looks for a running mate.
The statement of the nonpartisan National Women’s Defense League (NWDL) comes as the freshman Pennsylvania governor is reportedly on the vice presidential shortlist.
Harris is expected to be formally chosen as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee via online voting over the weekend.
Last fall, Shapiro’s office agreed to pay a woman employee $295,000 to settle her complaint that his former chief of staff, Mike Vereb, made inappropriate comments to her. The woman signed a nondisclosure agreement that barred both sides from discussing the case.
Vereb, a former state representative, had stepped down from his position in the Shapiro administration. But it was discovered the woman made her allegations months before Vereb resigned.
At the time, state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery) said, “The lack of transparency and accountability surrounding this process is very disturbing, and, unfortunately, the taxpayers are footing the bill. Harassment of any kind in the workplace is never acceptable, and when these incidents occur at the highest levels of state government, the public deserves answers. We are currently reevaluating the handling of this incident, and I believe changes will be needed to ensure that victims are protected, wrongdoers are held responsible, and taxpayers are respected.”
Several bills that were subsequently introduced did not make it into law.
“Gov. Shapiro’s office should have done a better job preventing the sexual harassment happening in his own office by Cabinet Secretary Mike Vereb, including protecting the survivor who bravely came forward, ensuring that any other potential survivors felt safe in speaking up, and ensuring the harasser didn’t have the opportunity to do further harm after the complaint,” said NWDL director Emma Davidson Tibbs.
“As the Harris campaign and the Democratic Party consider their options for vice presidential candidates, we urge them to consider the handling of past complaints of sexual harassment inside the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office. The American people deserve to know that, if called to a higher office, Gov. Shapiro will do more to ensure the safety and dignity of employees, volunteers and constituents in his office.”
Sexual harassment accusations against Vereb were not the only ones that came to light in Harrisburg last year.
Mike Zabel, a Democrat who was a state representative from Delaware County, also resigned under a cloud around the same time.
Zabel stepped down after fellow Rep. Abigail Major spoke out about a drunken pass Zabel allegedly made, then followed her to her car. Several other women had also claimed Zabel behaved inappropriately toward them. The scandal erupted after SEIU lobbyist Andi Perez came forward to say Zabel put his hand on her leg during a business conversation. His former campaign manager, Colleen Kennedy, also made accusations.
“Sexual harassment is especially rampant in our government and political workspaces, and we need leaders who will buck the pernicious status quo. We deserve leaders who will champion reforms that do not silence survivors, but empower and support them. We deserve leaders who will not brush sexual harassment under the rug, but will put accountability above politics. We need leaders who prioritize effective policies, protocols and culture that prevents sexual harassment and protects survivors,” said Davidson Tibbs.
“Our research indicates that there is rarely only one survivor in cases like this one. When it comes to sexual harassment, silence is not golden–it’s a red flag,” she added.
Manuel Bonder, a spokesman for Shapiro said, “Gov. Shapiro has a long track record of protecting survivors and prosecuting predators – as attorney general, he exposed decades of child sexual abuse and cover-ups within the Catholic Church and put those who abused children behind bars. As governor, he has repeatedly called on the Senate to send him a bill – which has already passed the House – to provide victims of sexual abuse with an opportunity to achieve justice and accountability.
“Gov. Shapiro and his administration take every allegation of discrimination and harassment extremely seriously and have robust procedures in place to thoroughly investigate all reports. Those procedures are implemented in every instance where complaints of discrimination or harassment are made and all allegations are promptly and fully investigated to ensure employees feel comfortable to report misconduct. In order to protect the privacy of every current and former commonwealth employee involved, the administration does not comment further on specific personnel matters,” he said.
The Harris campaign did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Harris is expected to name her vice presidential pick soon and plans a rally in Philadelphia to introduce her choice Tuesday evening.
