Stacy Garrity
Stacy L. Garrity (born May 17, 1964) is an American politician, businesswoman, and soldier. She is currently serving as Pennsylvania Treasurer as a Republican, a position to which she was elected in 2020. She previously served in the United States Army Reserve for 30 years and through three deployments during the Gulf War and Iraq War, where she was called "The Angel of the Desert" by other US military officers.[1][2][3] She left the Army Reserve in 2016 at the rank of colonel. Garrity worked at Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. from 1987 to 2021, where she reached the level of Vice President. In 2019, Garrity entered politics and ran for the Republican nomination for a special election in Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, but lost to Fred Keller, who went on to win in the general election.[4]
Stacy Garrity | |
|---|---|
| 39th Treasurer of Pennsylvania | |
| Assumed office January 19, 2021 | |
| Governor | Tom Wolf Josh Shapiro |
| Preceded by | Joe Torsella |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 17, 1964 Athens, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Daniel Gizzi |
| Education | Bloomsburg University (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army (Reserve) |
| Years of service | 1986–2016 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War Iraq War |
| Awards | Bronze Star (2) Legion of Merit |
In 2020, Garrity ran for Pennsylvania Treasurer against incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella, winning the Republican nomination unopposed. She defeated Torsella in the general election in an upset, having been outraised financially and consistently down in the polls.[5]
Early life
Garrity is a native of Athens, Pennsylvania in Bradford County.[6] She attended Sayre Area High School in Sayre, Pennsylvania and later graduated from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania with a degree in finance and economics, later earning a certificate from the Cornell University Business Management Institute.[7]
Military career
Garrity served in the US Army Reserve from 1986 to 2016, reaching a final rank of colonel. While in the Army Reserve, Garrity acted as a Military Police officer.[8] Garrity was deployed three times during her military career: in 1991 for Operation Desert Storm, and in 2003-2004 as well as 2008-2009 for the Iraq War.[9]
Garrity was stationed at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq during the Iraq War. In her first deployment in 2003 and 2004, Garrity worked to process detainees, manage family visitations, and act as a Red Cross liaison.[1][10] In her second deployment in 2008 and 2009, Garrity ran Camp Bucca as Acting Battalion Commander.[11][12] It was here Garrity obtained the nickname "The Angel of the Desert" or "The Angel of Camp Bucca" for her affection when dealing with the prisoners housed at the camp.[1] The "Angel" nickname was given to her by other US military personnel, not the prisoners whom she oversaw.[3] Garrity earned two Bronze Stars and the Legion of Merit before retiring in 2016.[2][6]
While campaigning for Pennsylvania Treasurer, Garrity claimed that there were "zero [prisoner] abuse allegations" while she ran the Camp Bucca.[12][13] While Garrity ran Camp Bucca in 2008 and 2009, six Navy sailors working at the camp were convicted of abusing prisoners after beating them and sealing them in a room full of pepper spray.[14][15] In 2004, while Garrity was in charge of personnel administration at Camp Bucca, the International Committee of the Red Cross produced a report documenting "brutality" against prisoners by camp staff, including several Geneva Convention violations.[16][17][1] The Red Cross described violations at Camp Bucca as a "broad pattern" of abuse.[18] A US Army report also documented prisoner abuse at Camp Bucca while Garrity was an administrator there in 2004.[19] Despite the prisoner abuse during both of Garrity's deployments as a camp administrator, her Treasurer campaign claimed that Garrity had a "perfect record" at Camp Bucca.[9] Garrity has continued to claim that there was no abuse at Camp Bucca during her tenure there since being elected as Pennsylvania Treasurer.[3]
In 2004, Garrity was reprimanded for violating Camp Bucca's alcohol policies while stationed there.[20][21]
During Garrity's two stints as an administrator of Camp Bucca, the camp served as the "birthplace of ISIS," as terrorist leaders detained in the camp built relationships with each other and radicalized other inmates, leading to the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.[22][23] Observers blame Camp Bucca's administrators for allowing this networking and radicalization to take place. Historian Jeremi Suri called Camp Bucca a "terrorist university" and said, "The radicalization of the prison population was evident to anyone who paid attention. Unfortunately, few military leaders did."[24] In 2014, former CIA officer Patrick Skinner said, "Everybody could see what was happening [at Camp Bucca], but nobody could do anything about it."[25] Iraqi general Ahmed Obeidi al-Saedi estimated that 80 percent of inmates released from Camp Bucca went on to work for terrorist organizations.[26]
Business career
Garrity worked at Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. (GTP) from 1987 to 2021.[27] GTP is a producer of tungsten and metallurgic products based in Pennsylvania. Before leaving GTP to become Pennsylvania Treasurer, Garrity's final position at the company was Vice President for Government Affairs and Industry Liaison.[27]
While at Global Tungsten & Powders, Garrity was a board member of the Munitions Industrial Base Task Force, a defense industry lobbying organization.[28][29] The Task Force has spent more than $2 million on federal lobbying while Garrity held positions at GTP.[30][31]
In 2018, while Garrity managed government affairs for Global Tungsten & Powders, she successfully lobbied Congress to ban the US military from purchasing any tungsten from China, where most of the world's tungsten is produced.[13][32][33][34] According to Garrity, GTP is the largest smelter of tungsten in the "western world"; as such, the company would benefit if the military were required to purchase its tungsten from American sources.[35]
In 2017, Global Tungsten & Powders was sued in federal court by a competitor company, Tungsten Heavy Powder and Parts, for defamation.[36] Tungsten Heavy Powder and Parts alleged that Garrity spread defamatory statements about them at an industry event.[36]
Political career
Congressional campaign
In 2019, Garrity ran for the Republican nomination in a special election for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional district after the resignation of incumbent Tom Marino.[37] Garrity lost the nomination to Fred Keller, who eventually won the seat. According to Garrity, she was snubbed by President Donald Trump, who supported Keller for the nomination over her.[3] After losing the Congressional nomination, Garrity pursued the open 2020 race for Treasurer. Despite her rapid transition from the Congressional campaign to the Treasurer campaign, Garrity criticized incumbent Democratic Treasurer Joe Torsella for supposedly seeing the Treasurer's office "as a step on the political ladder."[38]
Pennsylvania Treasurer
Election
Garrity challenged incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella for Pennsylvania Treasurer in January 2020,[4] winning the Republican nomination unopposed in June. Garrity charged that Torsella was mainly interested in the office to boost his profile and run for higher office, such as the state's governorship. She criticized Torsella's management of the office and alleged a lack of transparency, citing a D− rating given by the Public Interest Research Group in 2019.[39]
On November 10, 2020, a week after election day, Torsella called Garrity to concede the race, with Garrity leading by 78,000 votes at the time of his concession. It was the first time a Republican had unseated an incumbent Democrat for a statewide office in Pennsylvania since 1994.[5]
Tenure
In May 2021, Garrity joined a critical letter sent by several Republican state treasurers to the Biden administration, charging that the administration was inappropriately encouraging financial institutions to stop supporting fossil fuels.[40] The letter said that the government should not "bully corporations into curtailing legal activities," but it also threatened that the state governments represented by the signatory officials may divest their state funds from any banks that no longer support fossil fuel projects.[40] Garrity's participation in this letter was criticized by an editorial of the Hazelton Standard-Speaker.[41]
In honor of National College Savings Day in 2021, Garrity had the Pennsylvania Treasury offer $100 to families that opened 529 college savings plans.[42]
In 2021, in her ex-officio capacity on the board of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System, Garrity joined a group of "dissident" board members opposing the contemporary management of the pension fund's investments, arguing instead that the pension fund should invest in low-fee, public investments. After failing to dismiss the fund's managers, the dissident group of board members, including Garrity's predecessor Joe Torsella, successfully blocked an investment strategy proposed by the fund managers in September 2021. [43] In her 2020 election campaign, Garrity pledged to focus on eliminating waste in pension management fees. [44]
In 2022, Garrity opposed Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf's proposal to award state employees with five days vacation from work if they got vaccinated for COVID-19, claiming that it would cost the state government one-hundred million dollars.[45] The Wolf administration claimed that Garrity's cost estimate was seriously exaggerated. Pennsylvania Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome, whose position reports to the governor, estimated the cost of the vacation incentives to be $45 million.[46]
On May 6, 2022, Garrity appeared at a rally with former president Trump and 2022 U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz in Greensburg, at which she endorsed Trump's false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election.[47]
References
- ^ a b c d Shapiro, Ari (June 18, 2004). "The Angel of the Desert". NPR. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Iraq War Veteran Stacy Garrity announces candidacy for PA-12". Potter Leader-Enterprise. February 14, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d DiStefano, Joseph N. "'Desert Angel' Garrity: Pa.'s new treasurer pledges openness, close scrutiny of pension funds". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Republican seeks party nod to run for Pennsylvania treasurer". Associated Press. January 24, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Seidman, Andrew; Brennan, Chris (November 10, 2020). "Pa. Treasurer Joe Torsella has lost his reelection bid, in a big upset by Republican Stacy Garrity". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Stockburger, George (November 10, 2020). "Bradford County native Stacy Garrity wins PA State Treasurer race". WYOU. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Garcia, Isabel (November 10, 2020). "Bradford County native Stacy Garrity elected PA State Treasurer". WENY. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ "Republican seeks party nod to run for Pennsylvania treasurer". Ellwood City Ledger. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b . February 27, 2021. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Brinkley, Joel (May 6, 2003). "In Victory for Powell, Bush Names Civilian Overseer for Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ "Republican seeks party nod to run for Pennsylvania treasurer". AP NEWS. January 24, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Profiles in Politics: Stacy Garrity for PA Treasurer, retrieved June 1, 2021
- ^ a b "Pa. state treasurer faces three challengers seeking his job". pennlive. October 30, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Navy: 6 sailors accused of abusing detainees in Iraq - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ . web.archive.org. January 3, 2010. Archived from [http:/wokv.com/localnews/2008/11/sailor-admits-assaulting-detai.html the original] on January 3, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ "Report of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on the Treatment by the Coalition Forces of Prisoners of War and Other Protected Persons by the Geneva Conventions in Iraq During Arrest, Internment and Interrogation". cryptome.org. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Red Cross report documents US torture of Iraqi prisoners". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Red Cross saw 'widespread abuse'". May 8, 2004. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Army report on Iraqi prisoner abuse". NBC News. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Taguba Report Annex 58: Testimony of Major Stacy L. Garrity, 800th Military Police Brigade". www.thetorturedatabase.org. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Taguba Report Annex 58: Testimony of Major Stacy L. Garrity, 800th Military Police Brigade. p. 3 [1]
- ^ "How the Islamic State evolved in an American prison". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Isis: the inside story | Martin Chulov". the Guardian. December 11, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Thompson, Andrew; Suri, Jeremi (October 1, 2014). "Opinion | How America Helped ISIS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Birth of ISIS traced to U.S. military prison, retrieved June 1, 2021
- ^ "Iraq prison system blamed for big rise in al-Qaida violence". the Guardian. May 23, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Corp, Global Tungsten & Powders. "GTP's Vice-President Stacy Garrity elected as Pennsylvania State Treasurer". www.globaltungsten.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Stacy Garrity 2020 Statement of Financial Interest, Pennsylvania Ethics Commission. https://www.ethicsrulings.pa.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=416969&searchid=01e7ee5a-bcd0-4261-8034-ff7053d74a43&dbid=0&repo=EthicsLF8
- ^ "About Us". mibtf.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Munitions Industrial Base Task Force Lobbying Profile". OpenSecrets.
- ^ "Search Registrations & Quarterly Activity Reports | Lobbying Disclosure". lda.senate.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ The Dean Malik Show, June 5, 2020. Garrity says in the interview: "I pushed through some legislation – we call it ‘Don’t Buy from the Bad Guys.’ For years, our military incorporated Chinese tungsten into munitions. In the John McCain National Defense Authorization Act, we got legislation where we no longer incorporate tungsten from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran into our military components. That’s why I call it ‘Don’t Buy from the Bad Guys.’ For years and years, we tried to get that through.” https://wwdbam.com/episodes/the-dean-malik-show-06-05-20/
- ^ "Tungsten Production by Country (Metric tons, tungsten content)". www.indexmundi.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "10 U.S. Code § 2533c - Prohibition on acquisition of sensitive materials from non-allied foreign nations". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Comment Submitted by Stacy Garrity, Global Tungsten & Powders (GTP), Regulations.gov https://www.regulations.gov/document/USCBP-2018-0029-0074
- ^ a b Malfitano, Nicholas. "Defamation lawsuit involving rival tungsten product manufacturers brought to Pennsylvania federal court". Pennsylvania Record. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "PoliticsPA". Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ . January 23, 2021. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Maisel, Matt (October 29, 2020). "Pa. Treasury election candidates at odds over integrity, transparency of office". WPMT. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Pa. Treasurer Garrity warns banks against divesting from fossil fuel companies". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "Garrity banking on outdated energy sources". Hazleton Standard Speaker. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Walzak, Josh. "State Treasurer Encourages Families to Save for Education with PA 529 Accounts". The Courier Express. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ DiStefano, Joseph N. "For the first time, rebels block PSERS management's investment advice at state's biggest pension fund". mcall.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ . January 23, 2021. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ "Cost of Gov. Wolf's vaccine incentive still unclear". ABC27. February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "Cost of Gov. Wolf's vaccine incentive still unclear". ABC27. February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ McGoldrick, Gillian (May 6, 2022). "Trump takes the stage in Greensburg, with a mixed review of Oz". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Harrisburg. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
External links
- Government website
- Campaign website