Jeremy Shaffer has seen the good and the bad of government.
After obtaining a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon and a friend started a bridge inspection management software company aimed at keeping bridges and roads safe and sound. He was able to travel around the country and the world, and Shaffer said he saw some governments manage infrastructure well and others not so well.
After selling his company, Shaffer launched a successful campaign for Ross Township commissioner.
After two previous unsuccessful runs for state Senate in 2018 and for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Shaffer made an offer in January for the 28th District seat in suburban Pittsburgh after state Rep. Rob Mercuri announced his run for Congress.
Shaffer was the only Republican Party candidate to enter the race for a seat in the House of Representatives. IN Novemberdefeated Democrat Bill Petulla.
Now that he’s set to become a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Shaffer said he’s ready to reform Harrisburg.
“My philosophy is always: You know what? If we agree on B and C, let’s do B and C,” Shaffer said. “So let’s start from a place where we can provide at least a partial solution.”
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Capital-Star: Tell me about your neighborhood and what is unique about it.
Shaffer: : [The] the district is located in northern Allegheny County. It’s a suburban district. It is a city with a human heart, very family-centered, many families who care about high-quality schools and safe and sound neighborhoods, who want a good quality of life, enjoy the outdoors, and want it with relatively low taxes and effective government.
Capital-Star: What would you describe as the most pressing issue in your district?
Shaffer: : My neighborhood is sort of the high point on a slowly sinking ship.
On paper, looking at our region, and indeed our state, you would think that we should be one of the fastest growing areas in the country, but Western Pennsylvania continues to slowly lose population. Our high taxes and needy regulatory environment essentially keep people and businesses away from our region and our state, despite all the benefits we have.
And while my district is doing better overall than the rest of the region and state, we could be doing even better.
Capital-Star: What do you think will be your top legislative priority?
Shaffer: I consider things in two buckets. First, I think the system itself is broken. Overall, I am a great reformer. So one bucket will be for reforms and the other will be for meeting everyday concerns.
So, in terms of reforms, I would say the first bill that I would like to introduce and that I will co-sponsor would be the term limits bill. I think we need a steady flow of fresh blood into the state legislature. This shouldn’t be a career. It should be something people do, serve for a while and go home.
I would also like to reduce the size of the state legislature. We have the largest and most pricey full-time state legislature in the country, which is truly ridiculous.
And campaign finance reform. Our current campaign finance system in Pennsylvania is a joke. Both sides abuse it.
We need reform that involves redistricting. So I think in this field I can find people on both sides of the aisle who would recognize this common set of problems.
Then on the other side. I have a background in transportation, having spent over 20 years in the transportation industry, and have participated in numerous national expert panels and contributed to written publications. Pennsylvania spends huge amounts of money on our transportation system and infrastructure in general, and I’m not sure we’re really getting results based on the amount we spend with the nation’s highest per-mile highway tolls, secondly the nation’s highest gas tax.
Capital-Star: How many terms for the state House of Representatives and state Senate?
Shaffer: I’m willing to work with as many people as we can get to get the votes we need, but my personal preference is 10 years. So five terms for a member of the state House of Representatives, and then three terms for a member of the state Senate, or 12 years. So 10 and 12 will be term limits.
Capital-Star: How about reducing the size of parliament? What number do you think would be appropriate?
Shaffer: : Once again, I am willing to work with others on this, but there are currently 203 members in the House of Representatives. I’d like to get down to 100, but I’m willing to compromise at 150.
Capital-Star: You said campaign finance reform – what exactly do you mean?
Shaffer: Pennsylvania is the wild west when it comes to campaign finance. For example, if you are running for state office, you must file a report on your campaign. And maybe I’m a little wrong with these dates, but the report has to be submitted in May, and the next report has to be submitted about a week before the elections. The penalties and fees for failure to submit applications are ridiculously low, so many applicants simply ignore application deadlines, and the public has no idea who is donating how much to applicants.
I’m also a gigantic supporter of transparency, and government should be very see-through, so we need more reporting and should probably consider putting restrictions on how we operate.
