Braddock Mayor John Fetterman ascended to higher office on the Democratic ticket last week with incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf, and he’s already off to a nontraditional start.
Lt. Gov.-elect Fetterman said Thursday he won’t relocate to Harrisburg or live in the official property associated with his new office.
The estate in Fort Indiantown Gap includes a three-story, 2,400-square-foot stone house, plus a pool, but Braddock is his home, he said. It’s where his kids were born, and where he wants to stay.
"But symbolically, I believe it’s inappropriate, for lack of a better phrase, to have a public servant ... living in a home that has housekeeping – and I mean, all these other things – when we’ve worked to eliminate people (having) their gas and heat shut off,” he said.
Fetterman spoke to 90.5 WESA's The Confluence. Find the full interview here.
Traditionally, the office of lieutenant governor hasn’t been responsible for much – chairing the state board of pardons, sitting on the emergency management council and presiding over state Senate sessions. But Fetterman said he and Wolf see his new role a bit differently.
“My job is what my title is – lieutenant governor – to assist and to have his back. I’m lucky to have a governor that wants participation ... He deserves that from me, and that’s what I’m committed to.”
The outgoing mayor says he’s been tapped by Wolf to contribute to criminal justice reform efforts and economic development for places – like Braddock – that struggle economically.
It’s not clear when he’ll step down as mayor, he said. His new term as lieutenant governor begins Jan. 15, 2019.
