In a visit to Lackawanna County on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis touted state funding aimed to make communities safer. He also said he’s ready to become governor if Gov. Josh Shapiro becomes vice president.
Davis listened to local leaders discuss the need for more education funding, gun safety laws and programs for teens. Then he took questions about the political future of himself, and Shapiro.
Likely Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris will announce her choice for vice president soon. She and her pick are expected to campaign together in Philadelphia on Tuesday, and Shapiro remains a frontrunner.
Davis called the governor a "tremendous leader."
“I'm glad that folks at the national level recognize that he's able to bring people together to get things done here in Pennsylvania,” he said.
Davis says he took the job knowing that one day he could be called to serve as governor.
“If we get that call, one day, we're going to be ready to move Pennsylvania forward and keep delivering real results for working class folks here in Pennsylvania,” he said.
Funding needs
Davis spoke with local leaders during the event at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The art room became a place for discussing the state budget and what communities need to become safer. Children’s voices echoed in the hallway.
Davis grew up in McKeesport in Allegheny County, and gun violence in his neighborhood led him to public service, first by attending city council meetings.
“And now, as your lieutenant governor and the chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, we are fighting to make our community safe from the epidemic of gun violence every single day,” Davis said. “And I want to be clear, this is not just a Pittsburgh problem. It's not just a Philadelphia problem. It's not just a Scranton problem. It's a Pennsylvania problem, and it's uniquely an American problem, but it is a problem that we can and we must do something about.”
Earlier this month, Shapiro signed the 2024-25 state budget, which includes funding for afterschool and out-of-school time programming and more resources for violence intervention and prevention programs. The budget also includes an increase for nonprofit security grants, an increase in funding for domestic violence services and an infusion of state dollars to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund.
From harsher penalties for domestic violence and establishing detention centers for juvenile offenders, to restoring preschool in Scranton and creating more afterschool programs, speakers told Davis about their ideas.
Community leaders stressed the need for solutions beyond law enforcement, instead focusing on prevention and intervention.
Providing underprivileged children and young adults with the knowledge they need to make positive life choices, increasing access to mental health services, creating more economic opportunities and fostering community engagement must be priorities, Lackawanna County Commissioner Matt McGloin said.
“By working together as a community, we can absolutely address these underlying issues and these underlying causes and create a safer and more supportive environment for all residents right here in Lackawanna County,” he said.
