After the arson attack on the governor’s mansion last month, Abington native Governor Josh Shapiro is finding support from a powerful bipartisan group, writes Gillian McGoldrick for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
All five living former governors and six former first ladies have stepped up.
Among the items damaged was a grand piano — one that once brought former Tom Ridge’s daughter, Lesley face to face with Mr. Rogers in 1999. Rogers played “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” with her and her brother during their time living in the mansion. That piano is now charred, and memories like Ridge’s are fueling a grassroots effort to help restore the iconic Harrisburg residence.
Led by Ed Rendell, Tom Ridge, Tom Corbett, Mark Schweiker, and Tom Wolf, the effort aims to raise around $500,000 to cover restoration costs not picked up by insurance. The fundraiser will benefit the Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund, a public-private partnership with Team Pennsylvania.
While the attack damaged parts of the home, Josh Shapiro and his family have already returned. They even hosted the annual Easter egg hunt last month. The reception room — where Rogers once inspired a young Ridge — should reopen by midsummer.
Read more about the inspiring, bipartisan effort to restore the governor’s mansion in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
