Citing ‘political polarization’ throughout the U.S., Gov. Josh Shapiro urged collaboration at Pennsylvania Society dinner
"...we have clearly shown that we know how to get around the table, have tough conversations, and work together to get stuff done for the good people of Pennsylvania," Shapiro told the N.Y. gathering.
NEW YORK — Pennsylvania’s wealthy and political elite held their annual glitzy gathering in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday night to celebrate civility and philanthropy in the state, at a dinner headlined by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The dinner closed out the swanky weekend, where legislators, policymakers, and lobbyists schmooze their way through more than a dozen parties, incentivizing Pennsylvania’s most powerful officials to come together where no one has a home-field advantage.
Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, listed his administration’s accomplishments over the last year and how Democrats and Republicans were able to come together on major issues, such as creating a new public education funding system with historic investments, as well as new incentives to graduate and retain more college students. He also noted how Pennsylvanians elected a divided legislature to represent them in Harrisburg again this year.
”Despite all the changes we saw in the most recent election across this country, here in Pennsylvania, voters sent back the exact same partisan makeup of our General Assembly,” Shapiro said.
“While there is a lot of talk of political polarization and partisanship in this country, we have clearly shown that we know how to get around the table, have tough conversations, and work together to get stuff done for the good people of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro added, in his remarks to the filled Pennsylvania Society ballroom, a tradition his predecessor, former Gov. Tom Wolf, often skipped.
The $600-plus-per-ticket dinner at the Hilton Midtown began by having a moment of silence for Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was gunned down outside the same hotel earlier last week. Security measures at the black-tie affair were also increased, such as requiring all attendees to walk through metal detectors before entry. TV cameras still lined the sidewalk outside the hotel into Saturday.
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The crowd said goodbye to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a three-term Democrat who lost to Sen.-elect Dave McCormick in a historically close race. Casey said he would still attend next year, but will have more time to explore the city.
”We’d like to thank you for 18 years of dedicated service to our commonwealth and to our country,” said Patricia Wellenbach as the crowd gave Casey an extended standing ovation.
Shapiro also presented this year’s Gold Medal award to longtime society member and Erie giant Thomas B. Hagen. Hagen, 89, is the chairman and former CEO of Erie Insurance Group who remains a generous philanthropist in the state.
Each awardee — including previous winners such as Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden — get to choose a charity to benefit from the dinner, and Hagen chose Erie-based education nonprofit Eagles Nest Leadership Corp.