I’d like to take a moment to say thanks and goodbye to the PA Treasury Twitter account folks

I’m obviously not the first or last reporter to marvel over what a hard, challenging and straight up weird year it’s been.

This month alone has brought us enough news to fill up an entire calendar year. The city’s seen the bad weird (fighting fake election fraud accusations, COVID-19 cases rising exponentially and whatever the hell is going on with the Eagles right now) but also the good weird (hello to YOU, Four Seasons Total Landscaping and protests-that-are-actually-dance-parties.)

And among the best weird this year ranks the @PATreasury Twitter account. We checked in with the staffers behind the account last year when they had a few thousand followers, but since, they’ve made pals with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, and found followers in U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sixers player Mike Scott.

“With this account, we’re hoping to break through the noise and connect with the people we serve,” the staffers told me last year. “The goal is to bring people in with a joke or a shared interest (like the #MikeScottHive), and then, yes, help educate a bit about what we do and different ways Treasury programs can help people. But the goal is also to hear from as many people as possible about what they care about, what they want to see or what is impacting their life.”

But, 30,000 followers and lots of memes later, on Nov. 3, Treasurer Joe Torsella did not win his reelection bid. And when he leaves, the comms staffers who run the account will have go, too.

Well, folks, it’s true. The Department is indeed going to change hands, and I’m sure @JohnFetterman will also force the PA Treasury Comms team to surrender to authorities 🙂

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) November 10, 2020

They’ll have control of the account until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, so we have two more months to read tweets about the student debt crisis, Wawa vs. Sheetz and paying more than $750 in taxes.

But in that time, I just wanted to say thanks, PA Treasury staffers, for all the little moments of joy you’ve brought me during this hellscape of a year.

Thank you for realizing that much of what Pennsylvanians and New Jerseyans have in common is that at least we are not New Yorkers.

Pennsylvania @NJGov
?
Not having to put up with this kind of thing. https://t.co/6uo18PJ6OG

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) November 17, 2020

Thank you for your red panda content.

This local house cat wants you to go to https://t.co/kYLmrh7iyj. https://t.co/eVSm8g2hCg

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) September 3, 2020

Thank you for this thread of “choice cut” memes.

It’s late and I have no good content for you at the moment. I’m sorry. But mods are asleep, so hit with your best memes.

We’re talking choice cuts here, folks. The good stuff. If it’s bad, it might get a boo.

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) August 8, 2020

Thanks but actually no thanks for reminding me that the “everything is cake” trend was a thing in this timeline.

If you cut open a raw chicken breast it might be a cake, but if you cut open a cake it will be a free $100 to start your new child’s higher education savings. No, I will not be explaining this tweet further at this time. https://t.co/CBcSony1Oq

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) July 14, 2020

Thanks for giving me a pastime to ease the effects of 2020.

A favorite pastime of our communications team is to hear the most over the top corporate jingles, typically in pharmaceutical ads, and imagining Bob Dylan performing them.

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) May 25, 2020

Thanks for recognizing that it’s actually the Big Problems inside the little problems to focus on when it comes to wealth, inequity and the workforce.

Being financially literate doesn’t suddenly double your salary, or make the number of available jobs more plentiful, or make healthcare less expensive, or reduce the environmental and ensuing physical damage in the environment you grew up or live in, or

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) November 17, 2020

And thank you for giving me hope I’ll be able to find you somewhere on the internet after January. Plz lmk.

Two followers that I can’t believe we ever landed in the first place and I hope come with us to a different account.

And two accounts that were white whales that I’m so bummed we never landed. pic.twitter.com/oXxBbk2Dlo

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) November 11, 2020

I have no doubt you won’t let these next two months go to waste.

Leaving you with this thought for the moment: Joe is still Treasurer for a couple more months and we’re still here. So you may finally get an answer to the question of “What if @PATreasury had *even less* aversion to risk?” 🙂 pic.twitter.com/KJKtsVFoIn

— Pennsylvania Treasury (@PATreasury) November 10, 2020

New, Very Online™ people may come in from Treasurer-elect Stacy Garrity’s team and attempt to keep the ball rolling, and to them I say: Good luck.