Shapiro Needs to Answer Abuse of Women in His Administration, Maloney Says
1/30/2026
HARRISBURG – Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks) today called on Gov. Josh Shapiro to investigate the repeated reports of abuse of women at work in his administration.
“This week we had yet another report of women suffering abuse at work by their superiors under Shapiro’s leadership,” Maloney said. “We previously learned that the Shapiro administration had deleted metadata relating to the investigation of sexual abuse by his former legislative liaison, disgraced former state Rep. Mike Vereb.”
Two women and several Pennsylvania game wardens are cited in the Broad and Liberty story alleging abuse and mistreatment. The fact that the women and the game wardens worked in completely different areas bolsters their claims as the pattern of abuse is similar:
“An employee who doesn’t toe-the-line – i.e., work training sessions with no pay, needs a physical/health accommodation, or just doesn’t do what everyone else is doing after work, are all triggers for new claims of declining work performance after years of spotless records. And then, they continue to get poor performance reviews until they are fired. This is the PGC’s repeated pattern” Maloney said.
In 2019, when he was attorney general, Shapiro was put on notice of possible criminal acts by PGC personnel as the result of a performance audit that left some issues unresolved and should be referred to the attorney general.
Rep. Maloney personally handed these referrals to Shapiro and his top-lieutenant Vereb at a scheduled meeting in his Capitol office shortly thereafter. Not a thing has happened since, not a word spoken.
That left some potential criminal issues unresolved which former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale advised to be referred to the attorney general. Maloney personally handed these referrals to Shapiro and his top-lieutenant Mike Vereb at a scheduled meeting in his Capitol office shortly thereafter. Not a thing has happened since, not a word spoken.
“Now, on the heels of this report on abuse of women in the workplace, it has come to my attention that very recently Christine Worley, a demoted human resources manager who has had her badge yanked years ago and not been allowed in Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) offices has now filed a grievance to get her old job back.
“Meanwhile, Worley has oddly been kept employed and has been receiving constant increases in salary and is now making $117,497 per year.
“No one can deny there is something very wrong going on within PGC management.
“Shapiro responded to my Right to Know on his lack of accountability for the PGC saying that the PGC is an “independent commission” over which he has no control.”
That claim does not stand even brief scrutiny:
• The governor appoints all members of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the state Senate rubber stamps it.
• The governor is the only person who has oversight of and approves the PGC’s annual budget.
• When Tom Corbett was governor, the biggest ethics fine in state history was leveled at then PGC director William Capouillez for inappropriate interaction with PGC gas leases and monies.
• When the PGC members made clear they would appoint Capouillez as executive director, Corbett asked for all their resignations.
They backed off immediately.
In Venesky v. Ridge, legal precedent was set:
“Former commissioner George Venesky makes the policy argument that the Game Commission, as an independent agency is not subject to the policy supervision of the Governor and that therefore the legislature intended that the Governor have no ability to remove appointed commissioners at will and to thereby influence commission's agenda.
“As tempting an argument as this is, other countervailing factors are more convincing: 1) the fact that the General Assembly omitted the staggered terms of office when it enacted the Game and Wildlife Code in 1986, and 2) the fact that the Governor already influences and to an extent controls the commission by virtue of this appointing authority. We cannot infer legislative intent not to change the commission when the changes to the statute indicate otherwise. Had the General Assembly intended that game commissioners be removed only for cause, it could have so stated, and had it intended that the Governor not be able to remove commissioners at will, it could have left in the language establishing staggered terms when it re-enacted the law in the Act of 1986-93. Because the power to remove at will resides with the appointing authority absent statutory limitations, and no such limitations have been imposed in this case, separation of powers analysis does not apply in this case.”
It is clear Shapiro loves the power of being governor and in the news. Why does he claim not to have the power to fix a bad situation when he does in fact have such power?
Representative David Maloney
130th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
717.260.6161
clardner@pahousegop.com