Gov. Corbett taps former York County lawmaker to lead DPW

(Harrisburg) -- Governor Corbett says a former York County lawmaker will run the massive Department of Public Welfare after two years of missteps and federal scrutiny over why tens of thousands of children disappeared from Medicaid rolls.

Photo by The Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Corbett said Friday that Bev Mackereth will be acting secretary. She'll succeed Gary Alexander, a Rhode Island resident who told The Associated Press earlier this week that he planned to leave the post. His last day is Feb. 15.

Mackereth, a Republican, represented the 196th state House district for eight years and has managed the department's Office of Children, Youth and Families since November 2011. 

Even before Alexander was sworn in in 2011, Rhode Island officials disputed his claims over his fiscal achievements as that state's secretary of Health and Human Services.