Gov. Shapiro talks impact of NFL draft, Pennsylvania's economy and public transit
Gov. Josh Shapiro said the NFL draft in Pittsburgh has matched expectations so far, adding he expects the success to carry into the weekend.
On Thursday, more than 300,000 people attended Day 1 of the event, according to the NFL. It was a record for the highest attendance on the first day of the draft.
"We knew hundreds of thousands of people were going to come," Shapiro told KDKA on Friday.
Shapiro said on X Friday morning that the draft brought not only fans to Pittsburgh, but "business leaders" as well. A lot of his efforts have been spent trying to court those leaders, he said.
"I've actually spent most of my time not doing football, but trying to entice these business leaders to set up shop here in Pittsburgh," Shapiro said.
The governor said that he met with site selectors and CEOs from all over the country on Thursday.
"And what I hear over and over from them is, 'Wow, I had no idea Pittsburgh was like this,'" Gov. Shapiro said. "I think they have this idea of what Pittsburgh maybe used to be like, and they're not aware of all the changes and where the economy's growing and being reshaped. It's incredible to get their eyes open on it."
Pennsylvania has the only growing economy in the Northeastern United States, the Governor said, adding that people in the state should expect to see "a bunch" of business announcements coming out of the NFL draft.
KDKA also asked Governor Shapiro about public transportation, something that's proved vital to moving people around during the draft. Shapiro said Pittsburgh Regional Transit has done an "unbelievable job" getting people to the draft's festivities, including the draft-specific bus routes and light rail service.
In the long run, the state has run into issues with funding transportation. PennDOT approved the agency's request to use up to $106.7 million in state capital funds to prevent service cuts and fare increases in September 2025 – something PRT's board proceeded to approve. It's in effect for two years, retroactive to September 2025.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the transit authority for the Philadelphia area, had to make a similar move last September, with another two-year timespan at the time.
Shapiro blamed a lot of the transit funding fight on Republicans in Harrisburg, but he also said good public transit is critical to attracting companies here, calling it a "selling point."
"Having a strong mass transit system leads to a strong quality of life, leads to more deals getting done," Shapiro said.
