This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

In the span of just a few hours on Tuesday, state Rep. Mark Rozzi went from a rank-and-file Democratic lawmaker to the state’s first-ever Independent speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Rozzi, who won the vote with bipartisan support after being nominated by GOP state Rep. Jim Gregory, pledged not to caucus with either party. There still are a lot of questions and uncertainties surrounding the chamber and how Rozzi will lead it, but for the time being, it looks like we’re living in the Land of Roz.

Funny how quickly things can change. Perry, the Freedom Caucus honcho, was one of our Losers of the Year just last week. He has exerted even greater influence in the new year over the House GOP as his fellow Republicans continue struggling to find consensus in a vote for speaker. By standing against Kevin McCarthy’s efforts to become the chamber’s next speaker, Perry’s voice and vote have become essential to anyone hoping to assume the position.

Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro said on the campaign trail that he would govern in a bipartisan fashion – and his first cabinet secretary pick sure lives up to that promise. Shapiro selected former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican, to serve as his secretary of state. Schmidt said Thursday that he is open to working with anyone, regardless of their political affiliation, to protect the state’s elections.

Angelo Carrion, a former PennDOT employee, was arrested this week for charges related to a scheme where people paid him for help with driver’s license tests. According to state police, Carrion solicited money from customers for assistance with the licensing tests in the Lancaster area. Lawmakers love naming bridges and highways. In Carrion’s case, we’d go with the “Phony Expressway,” a one-way, dead-end access road to Lancaster County Jail.

Who wouldn’t do anything and everything possible to care for their sick pet? Collegeville man Jonathan Nyce took advantage of that knowledge. Nyce, who previously spent eight years in prison for the beating death of his wife, was recently convicted of running a scheme that promised cancer cures to dog owners. Nyce allegedly convinced owners of terminally ill dogs to pay him nearly $1 million for fake drugs that he falsely touted as “lifesaving.” Nyce now faces charges related to wire fraud and interstate shipment of misbranded animal drugs.

Meadville man Mikhail Edward Slye pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer this week after he was arrested last September for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Slye was accused of using a bike rack to trip a police officer, an act that caused the officer to suffer multiple injuries, per the Department of Justice. Slye’s sentencing is scheduled for April, when he will learn his fate.