New York City, NY – On Saturday evening, Governor Josh Shapiro delivered remarks at the 127th Annual Pennsylvania Society Dinner in New York City, an event bringing together leaders from across the Commonwealth to celebrate Pennsylvania’s history, achievements, and future.
See below for Governor Shapiro’s remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you, Trish. I appreciate the kind words and I especially appreciate your strong leadership of the Pennsylvania Society.
I’m honored to continue the tradition of the Governor addressing the Society on this, the 127th gathering.
This year takes on a special meaning for all of us, as the dinner returns home for the first time in eight years to the historic Waldorf Astoria.
The halls of this storied building have welcomed generations of Pennsylvania leaders who have attended this weekend…
…Giving them an opportunity to build bridges, inspire collaboration, and take that spirit of collegiality back to our Commonwealth.
I’m especially happy to be joined here by the love of my life, Pennsylvania’s First Lady, Lori Shapiro.
I also want to recognize my governing partner, our Lieutenant Governor, Austin Davis, and his wife, the Second Lady of Pennsylvania, Blayre Holmes Davis.
Let me thank the Pennsylvania Society for choosing to honor with your Gold Medal, David L. Cohen, a change-maker in our Commonwealth who has dedicated both his time and his talents to making Pennsylvania better.
He’s a close friend of more than two decades and someone who has mentored me along the way.
The first time I attended this dinner about 15 years ago, I was invited as a guest of David’s and sat with him and Rhonda.
I still remember that feeling of sitting here, in this storied hotel, inspired not just by this grand, historic room, but most especially by the people in it.
I just felt honored to be here – and to be at David’s table. I feel that same sense of excitement tonight, as Lori and I once again are seated with the Cohens, together with Governor Rendell and Mayor Parker.
We’ve come full circle as we celebrate David’s impressive career spent bringing people together to solve tough problems – at City Hall, at Comcast, and with our neighbors in the North, as our United States Ambassador to Canada.
David is a doer, who knows how to get stuff done – and that’s been the focus of the work my team and I do every day.
Listening to the people of Pennsylvania, meeting them where they are, understanding their needs, and solving their problems.
We have done that over the past three years.
And as a result of that work, I can report tonight, that Pennsylvania is on the rise – and the progress we’re making together is improving people’s lives.
I want to focus for a moment on that powerful word – “together.”
I understand the power of partnership and collaboration.
Of finding common ground.
That’s the Pennsylvania way.
Think of it for a moment –
One of our U.S. Senators is a Democrat. The other, a Republican.
Our Congressional delegation is split.
Consider this, in Harrisburg, among the 253 members of the General Assembly, the partisan makeup comes down to just 3 seats – and we’re one of only 3 states in the country with a divided state legislature.
In Pennsylvania, to get stuff done, we work together.
And even in this era of extraordinary political polarization, we are showing that we can do just that.
We stay at the table – no matter how hard it is, and no matter how long it takes sometimes – to find consensus, compromise, and make Pennsylvanians’ lives better.
Let me give you just a few examples.
Every Pennsylvanian deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.
And we’ve shown one of the best ways to do that is to invest in our students and give them a strong foundation to build their future.
Together, we’ve increased funding for education by 30 percent – and we’ve expanded vo-tech and CTE and apprenticeships to open new pathways of opportunity.
Graduation rates are up, and so are the number of teachers in our classrooms for the first time in many years.
Consumer Affairs now ranks us as one of the top states for quality public education in the entire country.
Those kids, and all of our neighbors, deserve to be safe and feel safe in their communities...
…So we’ve come together to fund nearly 2,000 more cops on the beat and expand afterschool programs and violence intervention initiatives centered in our communities.
As a result of this work, violent crime is down 12 percent – and fatal gun violence is down 42 percent.
If we want Pennsylvanians to stay in the communities they love, and raise their kids there, then we need to create economic opportunities in every county – rural, urban and suburban.
I’m proud of the fact that together we’ve put Pennsylvania on the map again when it comes to economic development – and the data shows it’s working.
We’ve made strategic investments while also cutting taxes seven different times.
We’ve put money back in the pockets of seniors, small businesses, families with child care costs, and working Pennsylvanians struggling to get by.
For 29 straight months, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has remained lower than the national rate.
And we’ve created more than 18,000 jobs all across our Commonwealth.
From those who are doing research in our life sciences labs…
…To over 10,000 members of the Building and Construction Trades building out the technology infrastructure of the future…
… To our farmers and ag producers, who take on the noble work of feeding people.
We’ve done all that – together.
We fixed our broken permitting process to guarantee speed to market and in turn, have become a national model for efficient and effective government.
We’re producing more energy today than ever before because our all-of-the-above energy strategy is working.
We landed the largest private sector investment in the history of our Commonwealth and have more big announcements on the way.
We repaired more bridges than any other state in the nation.
More jobs. More opportunity. And more freedom.
We now have the only state economy in the Northeast that’s growing, according to Moody’s.
And Forbes rated us one of the best states in the country to start a business.
Our kids are getting a better quality education, our communities are safer, and our economy is growing.
As we strengthen the foundation of our Commonwealth, we are doing so in a way that protects our freedoms and respects all of our citizens – no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to.
We’re showing that through it all, we can come together inside our Capitol, which is inspiring more confidence from the public.
I recognize how divided these times are, how cynical and distant the discourse on our screens make people feel…
That’s why this weekend is so important to help break down those barriers and have conversations with one another.
Because the best antidote to the cynicism and the worry that I know many – especially outside this grand hall – feel, is progress.
Progress in government that makes people’s lives better – that shows Pennsylvanians we can get stuff done, together.
Progress that unlocks two of the most powerful forces in our society – hope and optimism.
That’s what we’re beginning to see more of.
Pennsylvania is on the rise.
You can feel it on our farms and in our skyscrapers.
Along a newly improved Main Street and in our classrooms.
At a time where dysfunction and chaos reigns elsewhere, Pennsylvania is showing that we can be a model for steady progress when we come together.
I will tell you that part of my own hope and optimism comes from the fact that we’re seeing the fruits of our labor.
A new job, a safer street, a child with a chance.
But my real source of hope and optimism comes from the good people of Pennsylvania – folks like you in this room tonight and those I’m privileged to visit in their communities.
They’ve not only helped inform policies we’ve put in place, the initiatives we’ve launched, the points we’ve put on the board – this year, they’ve been there to help me and my family heal.
Since we last gathered, political violence came to our door.
And for as challenging as that’s been – especially as a father and as a husband – what’s been so uplifting to me and Lori are the prayers and words of support and comfort we’ve received from our fellow Pennsylvanians.
From people who came together – Democrats and Republicans, people of all faiths and all walks of life – to speak with one voice, reject the dark cycle of violence and instead, bring us light.
The people of Pennsylvania have shown us the way.
Proclaiming loudly that hate will not triumph.
Reminding us that there is far more that binds us together than divides us…
…And that we can work together to create – in the words of our founder William Penn – “an example for the nations.”
That’s the Pennsylvania way.
And tonight is a night where we appreciate that light.
A night when we celebrate our Commonwealth, and the goodness of our citizens.
A goodness that I believe stems from our founding in 1682 when Penn arrived on the banks of the Delaware River in Chester on a ship named “Welcome.”
Penn wanted to build a place that would be welcoming for all.
A place that would be defined by real freedom – with free elections, free expression, and the freedom to worship as you wish as central tenets of our new home.
A place where citizens would peacefully resolve their differences and work together.
We are descendants of that promise, and we bear the responsibility to carry it forward and continue that work…
…To find ways to appeal to our better angels, instead of succumbing to our worst impulses.
Let this weekend not only be a reminder of the roots of this Commonwealth and a celebration of our traditions – like this Pennsylvania Society dinner…
…And the great people we honor like David L. Cohen.
But let it also be a reminder of the common humanity we all share, the goodness and the decency of the people of Pennsylvania.
Ordinary folks who do extraordinary things each day to build a more just and connected and hopeful Commonwealth.
People who believe in each other – who show up and work to leave this place better than we found it.
Let us be inspired by that spirit and take the bonds we form tonight back home to our cities, towns and farmlands, and continue to find ways to come together, make progress, and create hope.
I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year.
May God bless those who wear the uniform of the Pennsylvania National Guard who protect our communities and our freedoms, our police and firefighters and first responders who keep us safe.
And may God bless all of you and our beloved Commonwealth.
Thank you.
# # #