There were a couple of interesting things readily apparent yesterday as Kathleen Kane made a little history in Harrisburg.
Kane was sworn in as the state’s new attorney general, in the process becoming both the first woman and first Democrat ever elected to the row office.
But a look at a photo from the swearing-in tells you a couple of other things.
One, Pennsylvania government remains overwhelmingly a male enclave. You can see Kane, and the wife of Gov. Tom Corbett in the front row. Aside from that, it’s an all-male thing.
The second interesting thing is Corbett himself. The governor was on hand to welcome the new row officers. He once held the office Kane now holds. Of course, it was during his time as attorney general that the state was investigating Jerry Sandusky. Kane made it clear during her successful campaign that she wanted to review the way Corbett handled the investigation. Corbett said, “bring it on.” The governor has steadfastly defended the speed and manpower he used on the Sandusky case, despite some harsh criticism.
So it must have been a little awkward for him to be sitting there in the front row yesterday as Kane made history.
To her credit, Kane never mentioned the Sandusky affair in her remarks. Good call. She vowed to figth corruption and keep our towns and communities safe from violent criminals.
To his credit, the governor was the first first to leap to his feet when she finished her remarks.
Harrisburg got a little less male yesterday.
There’s a new sheriff in town. Her name is Kathleen Kane.
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