Shapiro nominates Carroll to lead PennDOT

WILKES-BARRE — Governor-elect Josh Shapiro Thursday announced four key cabinet appointments, including former state representative Mike Carroll of Avoca as the next Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation.

Shapiro also nominated Rick Siger to be Secretary of Community and Economic Development; Sarah Hammer to be Secretary of Banking and Securities; and former state Sen. Pat Browne to be Secretary of Revenue.

Carroll, 60, was first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2006 and subsequently re-elected for seven additional terms.

He worked on transportation throughout his time in public office. Carroll served as Democratic chairman of the House Transportation Committee from 2018-2022.

“I am deeply honored that Governor-Elect Shapiro has entrusted me with the leadership over a department that affects the daily life of millions of Pennsylvanians and ensures we can travel across the Commonwealth safely,” Carroll said. “This historic moment in our Commonwealth presents a unique opportunity for this Administration. With $7.9 billion in federal funding coming to Pennsylvania, we will be able to fix our roads, highways and bridges — making it easier and safer for Pennsylvania drivers while creating good paying union jobs.

“As Secretary of Transportation, I will work to ensure PennDOT builds a better future for all Pennsylvanians.”

Carroll said he intends to “make sure PennDOT is a partner in Pennsylvania’s economic development so that we cab advance Gov. Shapiro’s vision of a dynamic Pennsylvania.”

Carroll also said that PennDOT has challenges unlike other state transportation departments because of the number of miles of roads to maintain. He said the state’s Motor License Fund is sup[posed to be only for roads and bridges, but in recent years much of that fund has been diverted to the state police.

I want to preserve most of that fund, if not all for roads and bridges,” Carroll said. “And the state police funding should come out of general fund.”

APC lauds Carroll appointment

Robert Latham, executive VP of Associated Pennsylvania Constructors, issued the following statement in reaction to Governor-elect Shapiro’s nomination for PennDOT secretary:

“We would be hard-pressed to name anyone more capable to lead PennDOT than Mike Carroll, Governor-Elect Shapiro’s nominee as PennDOT secretary. His knowledge and experience with transportation issues began early in his career and continued through his years in the General Assembly, where he most recently served as Democratic chair of the House Transportation Committee before deciding not to seek reelection last year. We are facing enormous challenges in funding and maintaining Pennsylvania’s 40,000 miles of state highways. The industry looks forward to continued partnership with PennDOT under Mike Carroll’s leadership.”

APC is a trade association that unites more than 400 members, including prime and subcontractors, consulting engineers, material suppliers, manufacturers, and others with an interest in Pennsylvania’s road and bridge construction industry. The association has been serving the industry for more than 80 years and represents the majority of actively bidding contractors in the Commonwealth’s $1.6-billion highway industry.

Shapiro emphasized throughout the campaign that his Administration will jump-start Pennsylvania’s economy by cutting red tape, lowering taxes, and making it easier to do business in the Commonwealth — and he said these highly qualified nominees will lead that effort in the Shapiro Administration.

Shapiro said this bipartisan team — comprised of two Republicans and two Democrats — has decades of combined experience in economic development and consumer protection, and will lead the effort to make Pennsylvania a national leader in innovation industries like robotics and biotech while protecting consumers from predatory practices.

“I’m proud to nominate this well qualified, bipartisan group of public servants,” Shapiro said. “I’m confident Rick Siger, Mike Carroll, Pat Browne, and Sarah Hammer will bring new energy to Pennsylvania state government and help make us a national leader in innovation, manufacturing, and job creation.”

Shapiro added, “At a time where Pennsylvania families are being crushed under a mountain of rising prices, we need leaders who will focus on re-igniting Pennsylvania’s economy and providing relief for working families across the Commonwealth.”

Shapiro said all four are dedicated to serving the Commonwealth by investing in key infrastructure projects, bringing a renewed focus to help small businesses and revive main streets in Pennsylvania, and working to ensure consumers and businesses are well-informed and protected.”

Carroll’s career

• Carroll, who was first elected as a state representative in 2006, served eight two-year-terms before announcing last February that he was not seeking re-election.

“I’ve made it a priority to thoroughly study issues to cast informed votes on bills and amendments and lead debates on education and transportation issues in the House of Representatives,” he said at the time.

• As noted in a Sunday Dispatch profile story last month, Carroll succeeded the late Tom Tigue from Hughestown in 2007. He represented constituents from Lackawanna, Luzerne and Monroe counties from 2007 to 2014, and Luzerne and Lackawanna counties from 2015 through to the end of his final term. He is succeeded in the 118th District by fellow Democrat Jim Haddock of Pittston Township.

• Among his roles before joining the House, Carroll previously worked for former U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, the late Gov. Robert Casey and as chief of staff for then-state Rep. John Yudichak.

• One of Carroll’s many legislative accomplishments in the House was his support for “Kevin’s Law,” a 2014 provision increasing the minimum penalty for leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash from one to three years. At the time, DUI homicides carried a three-year mandatory minimum prison sentence, but suspects who left the scene of a fatal crash faced only a one-year minimum sentence if caught.

Passed with overwhelming support from both parties and signed by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett the same day it cleared the Senate, the measure was named for Kevin Miller, a five-year-old from Dallas who was fatally struck by a car as he and his family were leaving a Christmas party in Wilkes-Barre.

Thomas W. Letteer Jr., who pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the Dec. 21, 2012, crash that killed Kevin, was ordered to spend two to five years in prison when he appeared before Luzerne County Judge Joseph Sklarosky Jr. for sentencing on May 1, 2014.

The legislative change was the product of many lawmakers’ hands, although Carroll, who then sat on the House Transportation Committee, successfully worked to get the language added to Senate Bill 1312. The measure passed the state House by 199-2, then sailed through the Senate 49-1.

At the time, Carroll said the law would introduce consistency that he hopes “will teach drivers that the most important thing to do is stop and render aid.”

In 2010, Carroll was awarded the Boy Scouts of America Minsi Trails Council Distinguished Citizen Award for his work to rehabilitate the Stillwater Dam in Tobyhanna Township.

In 2014, he was awarded the Jean Yates Award from the Pittston Memorial Library Board of Trustees based on his dedication and service to the library and the Joseph Battisto Award for his legislative service to the citizens of Monroe County.

In 2015, he received the Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries (PCBL) State Elected Official Award.

In May 2016, he received the BAYADA Home Health Care Champion award, and in June 2016 he was presented with the Silver Bayonet Award by AMVETS in grateful appreciation of services rendered to the community, state, and nation.

Carroll formerly worked as the chief of staff for then-state Rep. John Yudichak, served as legislative liaison for PennDOT under Gov. Robert Casey and served as district office director for U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski.

A graduate of Pittston Area High School, Carroll earned a bachelor of arts in liberal studies from the University of Scranton.

A lifelong resident of Avoca, he is a member of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick in Pittston, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Avoca Division. He is father of three adult children: Matt, Mackenzie, and Ali.

Growing Pa.’s economy

“Governor-elect Shapiro has said his top priority is to grow our economy and build a better future for all Pennsylvanians,” Siger said. “As Secretary in the Department of Community and Economic Development, I will work tirelessly to help our small businesses grow, foster innovation, and increase opportunities in forgotten communities across our Commonwealth. I am honored to carry out Governor-Elect Shapiro’s vision to help ensure every Pennsylvanian has access to good-paying jobs and an opportunity to thrive as we become a national leader in growth and innovation.”

Hammer said, “Governor-Elect Shapiro has a long record of protecting consumers and standing up to predatory practices, and as Secretary of Banking and Securities, I will work to strengthen and enhance our consumer protection efforts while ensuring the banking and securities industry operates fairly and efficiently. I’m looking forward to serving the people of Pennsylvania and keeping our consumers safe.”

Browne said as the head of the Appropriations Committee in the Senate, he has been a steward of the Commonwealth’s fiscal health.

“And as a member of the Shapiro Administration, I will work to ensure our Department runs programs fairly and efficiently,” Browne said. “We will be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars as we work to advance Governor-Elect Shapiro’s vision of freedom and opportunity here in Pennsylvania.”