Former Speaker Mike Turzai starts as Peoples’ general counsel
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Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai’s whirlwind week continued Tuesday, when he started his life in the private sector as general counsel of Peoples, the Pittsburgh-based gas utility.
His last day in office as speaker Monday was spent advancing two bills out of committee that would change how police are hired and trained in the state. The measures come amid weeks of national protests stemming from the May 25 death of George Floyd and calls for significant police reform.
“Getting that legislation moved out of committee and onto the House floor was a significant positive step,” Turzai, 60, of Bradford Woods, said Tuesday as he reflected on his final day in office. He served 10 terms representing the 28th District in the North Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh.
The three-term speaker of the House said although he’s leaving before his term ends in December, now is the best time to make the move to private life. He previously said he wouldn’t be seeking reelection.
“Going into the end of the session, I’m a lame duck. It’s important for there to be a team to make its case going into the election that they’re capable people who are going to govern,” Turzai said. “It’s fully fair to give them a runway, bringing my term to an end at the end of this budget cycle.”
He said he’s leaving with no regrets or unfinished business.
“I left it all on the field in the state Legislature in terms of public policy and the North Hills community,” Turzai said. “This is a new and exciting challenge.”
The general counsel post at Peoples has been vacant since 2018, when Kevin Acklin left the utility to become senior vice president and general counsel of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Although he’s been a legislator for two decades, Turzai has maintained an active law license, he said. Acklin’s law license had lapsed while he was chief of staff for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto before he took the Peoples job in January 2018.
As general counsel, Turzai will be the chief legal officer of Peoples and not be a lobbyist for the utility in Harrisburg.
“We have (other) lobbyists here,” Turzai said.
In Pennsylvania, former public officials and employees are banned from lobbying for a year, but the provision doesn’t apply to attorneys, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
Peoples’ move to hire Turzai was wise, said Philip Harold, a political science professor at Robert Morris University in Moon Township.
“My reaction was, it’s two for the price of one,” Harold said. “You’re not only getting a general counsel, you’re getting someone with intimate knowledge of how Harrisburg works.”
Because politics and regulation are intertwined, Harold said, “Having someone who knows the clear picture will be a huge asset for them.”
“He was a giant who not only participated in a legislative caucus, he was driving the bus,” Harold said.
Peoples is a subsidiary of Essential Utilities, based in Bryn Mawr, Pa. It serves 5 million customers’ water, sewage and natural gas needs through its Peoples and Aqua brands.