PITTSBURGH – Ray Mikesell was serving breakfast in his restaurant within the Strip District right here when he first met Josh Shapiro whereas he was working for governor two years in the past. Though Mikesell is a conservative Republican from western Pennsylvania and Shapiro is a liberal Democrat from the Philadelphia suburbs, Shapiro made a very good first impression. Mikesell shared his issues as a small businessman coping with rising crime within the metropolis, inflationary prices, and issue discovering employees. Shapiro listened rigorously and outlined a few of his coverage options.