Gov. Tom Wolf has yanked the state police protection for Lt. Gov. Mike Stack and his wife due to their rude behavior, which is under investigation by the Inspector General's Office.
Wolf's administration announced he met with Stack on Friday to hand deliver a letter informing him of the loss of the security detail.
The letter also said the Department of General Services has curtailed services to the taxpayer-funded mansion the Stacks inhabit on the grounds of Fort Indiantown Gap, about 20 miles from the state Capitol. Help from state workers will be limited to cleaning, groundskeeping and maintenance "under limited supervision at pre-arranged times."
"I do not delight in this decision, but I believe it is a necessary step to protect commonwealth employees," the governor's two-paragraph letter said.
The police detail is not a constitutionally mandated service, but a perk handed down through tradition. Its removal was shocking.
Stack, 53, a former Democratic state senator from Northeast Philadelphia, released a statement Friday: "I recognize, as does my wife, that certain behavior while dealing with the staff of the lieutenant governor's residence and the Pennsylvania State Police Executive Detail who protects us, is unacceptable and were symptoms of a larger problem. Today, in meeting with Gov. Wolf, I apologized directly to him for any embarrassment this situation has caused, discussed with him some of the reasons for what has occurred, and reiterated our commitment to addressing the causes forcefully and fully. For all of these reasons, during today's meeting, I concurred with the governor's decision to remove the executive detail that protected us and the remaining staff member at the residence."
Stack earlier apologized for his behavior and that of his wife Tonya without detailing what he feels he did wrong, saying he's done "things in anger or stress or frustration" he wishes he hadn't.
"Any person who goes through life and gets stressed, I think, will say things that they don't mean and they say things out of anger, and I'm no exception," Stack told reporters at a recent press conference. "That's not an excuse. That's not a reason that's acceptable. The bottom line is, I know that I've said things in anger that I wish I could take back, that I didn't mean."
Democrat Wolf, a wealthy businessman from York County, and Stack have never been close. Stack has said he plans to run next year for a second term next year, as does Wolf.
The politics surrounding the Wolf's and Stacks' relationship would have a bigger impact in the Democratic primary than the general election, said G. Terry Madonna, a pollster and political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. Wolf's decision allows him to take the moral high ground and Stack's apology leaves him vulnerable to a primary challenge or Wolf naming a preferred running mate, Madonna said.
"Wolf is going to have a hard time running with Stack," he said.
Stack earns $162,373 as lieutenant governor.
