On his way out the door, one of Pennsylvania's most polished politicians didn't pass up an opportunity at low-brow humor.
"Is it one-ply or two-ply?" soon-to-be state Attorney General Josh Shapiro asked jokingly before a vote on the county's purchase of "paper products" during his last meeting as Montgomery County commissioner.
After the county clerk assured him it was two-ply, Shapiro said he wanted to make sure the 2,700 county employees he oversaw the last five years were taken care of after he left.
Some of those employees, mostly from Shapiro's staff and upper department management, filled the eighth-floor boardroom Thursday for the outgoing commissioner. Many of them lauded him for his time in office.
Fellow Commissioner Val Arkoosh, a Democrat like Shapiro who took over as chairwoman of the three-member board, choked up as she recounted her time working with Shapiro.
"What started out as a political acquaintance has become a deep friendship," Arkoosh said, cheerfully remembering the time a couple years ago when she bought an Apple Watch for herself the day before Shapiro bought himself one.
"That may be one of the only races you've ever lost," she said.
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After the meeting, Shapiro said he would submit his letter of resignation to the Montgomery County president judge. That would begin the process of filling his seat on the commissioners' board, Arkoosh said.
The next step would be a period for nominations to be submitted by the public to the county Court of Common Pleas, whose 21 judges would then appoint a successor to fill Shapiro's remaining term.
The term runs through 2019.
