Thursday marked Gov. Josh Shapiro's 100th day in office.
The start to his administration was marked by the East Palestine train derailment, public safety concerns in some of the state's major cities and questions surrounding the economy.
"Man, I love this job," Shapiro told the Big K Morning Show. "It is hard work and it's non-stop. It's really humbling. There are a lot of challenges out there. I'm doing my best to meet the moment and address the concerns and solve problems, bring people together, actually get government to work in a bipartisan manner to solve some problems."
The economy and public safety were two sticking points during Shapiro's campaign. It appears those remain a priority during his administration.
The state's major cities continue to receive complaints about mental health issues, increasing drug use and violence. They are many of the same issues plaguing other major U.S. cities.
Shapiro believes addressing those issues isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.
"This is not okay," he said of the issues. "Those individuals that you're describing on the streets, some of them need to be arrested. Some of them need to be given care. They don't need to be locked up for decades, but you can't get away with disrupting peaceful, law abiding citizens."
Shapiro has long advocated for increased funding and resources for growing police departments statewide.
His 2023 budget proposal included a tax credit for new police officers, teachers and nurses, three career fields seeing severe shortages. His proposal also included funding for new cadet classes.
Allegheny County is familiar with recent job loss. A new report found the county lost 50,000 jobs in the last five years.
Shapiro believes Pennsylvania has not been as economically competitive as it can be in recent years, but there are ways to fix it.
"You have to be more competitive for business," he said. "That means reducing taxes, getting rid of the burdensome timeframes it takes to get a permit. We're doing that at the state level, and hopefully businesses will also see government as being a catalyst for connection."
He believes there is plenty of local opportunity in healthcare and robotics, adding he would like to invest more in those areas to create jobs.