Stacy L. Garrity (born May 17, 1964) is an American politician, businesswoman, and soldier. She is currently serving as
Pennsylvania Treasurer
The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms.
The Pennsylva ...
as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, a position to which she was elected in 2020. She previously served in the
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...
for 30 years and through three deployments during the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
and
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, where she was called "The Angel of the Desert" by other US military officers.
She left the Army Reserve in 2016 at the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. 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
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
in
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee.
Prior to 2018, the 12th district was locate ...
, but lost to
Fred Keller, who went on to win in the general election.
In 2020, Garrity ran for Pennsylvania Treasurer against incumbent Democrat
Joe Torsella
Joseph M. Torsella (born October 8, 1963) is an American politician and former diplomat, who served as the Pennsylvania Treasurer from 2017 to 2021. He served as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform (with the ra ...
, winning the Republican nomination unopposed. She defeated Torsella in the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
in an upset, having been outraised financially and consistently down in the polls.
Early life
Garrity is a native of
Athens, Pennsylvania
Athens is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located south of the New York (state), New York state line on the Susquehanna River, Susquehanna and Chemung River, Chemung river ...
in
Bradford County.
She attended
Sayre Area High School
Sayre Area High School is a rural combined junior–senior high school in Sayre, Pennsylvania, that serves two noncontiguous areas of Bradford County: Litchfield Township and the boroughs of Sayre and South Waverly. It is the sole junior and sen ...
in
Sayre, Pennsylvania
Sayre is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is the principal city in the Sayre, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. It lies 18 miles southeast of Elmira, New York, and 30 miles southwest of Bing ...
and later graduated from
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The c ...
with a degree in finance and economics, later earning a certificate from the
Cornell University Business Management Institute.
Military career
Garrity served in the
US Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Since July 2020, ...
from 1986 to 2016, reaching a final rank of colonel. While in the Army Reserve, Garrity acted as a
Military Police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
officer. Garrity was deployed three times during her military career: in 1991 for
Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
, and in 2003-2004 as well as 2008-2009 for the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
.
Garrity was stationed at
Camp Bucca
Camp Bucca ( ar, سجن بوكا, Sijn Būkā) was a forward operating base that housed a theater internment facility maintained by the United States military in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq. After being taken over by the U.S. military (800th Mi ...
in southern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
during the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. In her first deployment in 2003 and 2004, Garrity worked to process detainees, manage family visitations, and act as a
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
liaison.
In her second deployment in 2008 and 2009, Garrity ran Camp Bucca as Acting Battalion Commander.
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.
The "Angel" nickname was given to her by other US military personnel, not the prisoners whom she oversaw.
Garrity earned two
Bronze Stars
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
and the
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
before retiring in 2016.
While campaigning for Pennsylvania Treasurer, Garrity claimed that there were "zero
risonerabuse allegations" while she ran the Camp Bucca.
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. In 2004, while Garrity was in charge of personnel administration at Camp Bucca, the
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
produced a report documenting "brutality" against prisoners by camp staff, including several Geneva Convention violations.
The Red Cross described violations at Camp Bucca as a "broad pattern" of abuse. A US Army report also documented prisoner abuse at Camp Bucca while Garrity was an administrator there in 2004. 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.
Garrity has continued to claim that there was no abuse at Camp Bucca during her tenure there since being elected as Pennsylvania Treasurer.
In 2004, Garrity was reprimanded for violating Camp Bucca's alcohol policies while stationed there.
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
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
. Observers blame Camp Bucca's administrators for allowing this networking and radicalization to take place. Historian
Jeremi Suri
Jeremi Suri is an American historian, and the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs, at University of Texas at Austin.
Life
He graduated from Stanford University, Ohio University, and Yale University.
Suri has receiv ...
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." In 2014, former
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
officer Patrick Skinner said, "Everybody could see what was happening
t Camp Bucca but nobody could do anything about it." Iraqi general Ahmed Obeidi al-Saedi estimated that 80 percent of inmates released from Camp Bucca went on to work for terrorist organizations.
Business career
Garrity worked at
Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. (GTP) from 1987 to 2021.
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.
While at Global Tungsten & Powders, Garrity was a board member of the Munitions Industrial Base Task Force, a defense industry lobbying organization. The Task Force has spent more than $2 million on federal lobbying while Garrity held positions at GTP.
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.
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.
In 2017, Global Tungsten & Powders was sued in federal court by a competitor company, Tungsten Heavy Powder and Parts, for defamation.
Tungsten Heavy Powder and Parts alleged that Garrity spread defamatory statements about them at an industry event.
Political career
Congressional campaign
In 2019, Garrity ran for the Republican nomination in a
special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
for
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional district
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee.
Prior to 2018, the 12th district was locate ...
after the resignation of incumbent
Tom Marino
Thomas Anthony Marino (born August 13, 1952) is an American politician and attorney, who served as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2019. He represented the from January 3, 2011 to January 3, 2019, and the from Janu ...
. Garrity lost the nomination to
Fred Keller, who eventually won the seat. According to Garrity, she was snubbed by President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, who supported Keller for the nomination over her.
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."
Pennsylvania Treasurer
Election
Garrity challenged incumbent Democrat
Joe Torsella
Joseph M. Torsella (born October 8, 1963) is an American politician and former diplomat, who served as the Pennsylvania Treasurer from 2017 to 2021. He served as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform (with the ra ...
for
Pennsylvania Treasurer
The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms.
The Pennsylva ...
in January 2020,
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
Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) are a federation of U.S. and Canadian non-profit organizations that employ grassroots organizing and direct advocacy on issues such as consumer protection, public health and transportation. The PIRGs are cl ...
in 2019.
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
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
.
Tenure
In May 2021, Garrity joined a critical letter sent by several Republican state treasurers to the
Biden administration
Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...
, charging that the administration was inappropriately encouraging financial institutions to stop supporting fossil fuels.
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.
Garrity's participation in this letter was criticized by an editorial of the ''
Hazelton Standard-Speaker''.
In honor of National College Savings Day in 2021, Garrity had the Pennsylvania Treasury offer $100 to families that opened
529 college savings plans.
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. In her 2020 election campaign, Garrity pledged to focus on eliminating waste in pension management fees.
In 2022, Garrity opposed Pennsylvania governor
Tom Wolf
Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 guber ...
's proposal to award state employees with five days vacation from work if they got
vaccinated
A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.[< ...]
for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, claiming that it would cost the state government one-hundred million dollars. 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.
On May 6, 2022, Garrity appeared at a
rally with former president Trump and
2022 U.S. Senate candidate
Mehmet Oz
Mehmet Cengiz Öz (; born June 11, 1960), known professionally as Dr. Oz (), is an Turkish American former professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University, television presenter, author and former political candidate.
The son of Tur ...
in
Greensburg, at which she endorsed
Trump's false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election.
References
External links
Government websiteCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrity, Stacy
1964 births
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania alumni
Candidates in the 2019 United States elections
Living people
Military personnel from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Republicans
People from Bradford County, Pennsylvania
State treasurers of Pennsylvania
State cabinet secretaries of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania alumni
Women in Pennsylvania politics
21st-century American women