It’s rare that someone from our area gets one of the top jobs in the governor’s administration. I don’t know why that is, because there are plenty of bright, talented and knowledgeable people from the five-county Times News region, but with governors residing in other areas, they typically choose personnel from those areas, most notably Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

I guess in a way it is understandable, because the state’s two largest cities are Democratic strongholds, and Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro lives in one of Philly’s key suburbs, Montgomery County.

This is why some were somewhat surprised that he chose Dana Fritz, 32, who grew up in Coplay, North Whitehall Township, as his chief of staff. Once you start reading her resume, however, it seems much less surprising. In fact, I would have considered it a surprise if he had not chosen her. Fritz has accompanied Shapiro as he has risen from Montgomery County commissioner to the state’s Attorney General and now to the top political job in the Commonwealth.

In the process, Shapiro has caught the attention of national Democrats, especially because of his convincing more than 14-point victory over Republican Doug Mastriano. In winning the governor’s race, Shapiro has kept the governor’s job in Democratic hands after two-term-limited Tom Wolf heads to the sidelines on Jan. 17 when Shapiro will be sworn in.

There’s been talk that Shapiro is one of the rising stars in the Democratic Party and might be a potential presidential candidate down the line. It would be a risky move for Shapiro to get involved in the 2024 presidential race. He needs to prove himself first. It’s a big step from attorney general to governor, much bigger to president, but Shapiro has shown himself to be a consensus-builder when necessary, and he will need every bit of this skill in dealing with a deeply divided General Assembly.

Fritz, who now lives in Philadelphia, has been in a Shapiro support role since his commissioner days, then later as a deputy chief of staff and communications director in the Attorney General’s office, and, most recently, she managed his spectacularly successful gubernatorial campaign. This is why her star has risen along with his.

Shapiro had nothing but glowing things to say about Fritz. He said he has worked with her for about 10 years and finds her an “incredibly talented leader and committed public servant.” He refers to her as his most trusted adviser in whom he has “complete confidence” to lead the administration forward for the next four years, maybe even eight.

Many of you might wonder: What does a chief of staff do? A better question might be: What doesn’t a chief of staff do? There’s an old saying that a person who can do it all is “chief cook and bottle-washer.” Of course, these days the chief of staff position is much more refined than it was in previous generations when it was expected that the chief of staff would take a bullet for the boss if need be.

In an article in Master Class, the job is described this way “If you enjoy managing projects, problem-solving, advising your boss, and overseeing multiple departments, the chief of staff job might be right for you.”

The job is pressure-packed, no 9-5ers in this fraternity. Fritz sees herself as the captain of the ship to make sure that Shapiro’s objectives and priorities survive the bumpy legislative waters and arrive safely in port.

For Fritz, this is quite a departure from her youth when she wanted to become a professional figure skater and perform as part of the troupe traveling the country for Disney on Ice. As time went on, this graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School matured, and her interests turned to politics and public service

After graduating from Temple University, she worked for the Democratic Party organization, then for the 2012 re-election campaign of U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pennsylvania.

Following Casey’s successful re-election bid, Fritz moved on to the start of her duties with Shapiro in Norristown, the Montgomery County seat of government.

Now that Shapiro will take over the governor’s job, one of Fritz’s major roles is to assemble cabinet and staff members who will be compatible with Shapiro and each other and who will share Shapiro’s vision for a more dynamic Pennsylvania without being “yes” men and women.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com