Newly minted Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro fulfilled a campaign promise on his first day in office, demonstrating a competence and flair for governing that have generated optimism for Mr. Shapiro’s tenure in Pennsylvania, and speculation about an even bigger future in national politics. 

His day-one executive order means 92% of the jobs in the executive branch of state government will not require a bachelor’s degree. It’s a smart move that will widen access to good-paying jobs in a state where 70% of adults lack a four-year degree.

This popular campaign promise, coupled with a quick rollout at the start of his administration, sends a clear message: The new governor is serious about broad-based economic opportunity, and he’s a guy who gets things done. 

Almost all of the jobs covered by the executive order, however, either didn’t require such degrees, or had built-in flexibility to substitute experience for education. In other words, the substance of the governor’s executive order doesn’t quite match the hype. That raises the question of whether Mr. Shapiro’s administration will be defined by competence and substance — or mostly by his tremendous skill as a politician and a craftsman of messages. 

The governor’s transition and first week was also marked by a troubling dose of secrecy. 

Mr. Shapiro put on a clinic, almost flawless in its execution, of how to organize and manage a transition, including his inauguration festivities, which featured a performance by Wiz Khalifa. It was a show befitting one of the rising stars in American politics, but who bankrolled it? Owing to what might be Mr. Shapiro’s penchant for secrecy, the public doesn’t know.

Spotlight PA reported that 300 members of Mr. Shapiro’s transition team had to sign nondisclosure agreements — an unprecedented move for what should be public business.

The transition organization was also organized in a way that shields donors from public scrutiny. Was the transition bankrolled by organizations opposed to the principles Mr. Shapiro articulated during his campaign? It’s impossible to say, and many of those who would know have been gagged.

Mr. Shapiro could argue that all this secrecy was essential to ensuring an orderly (and well-funded) transition to a new administration. But if it is a harbinger of a closed administration that expects the public to accept its narratives without question, the transition may also be remembered for revealing a damaging hubris.

Over the next four years, for Pennsylvania’s sake, we hope Josh Shapiro comes to be known as a great statesman, and not just a great politician.

First Published: January 20, 2023, 5:00 a.m.