Highlights importance of State Treasurer’s race
WASHINGTON — Today Barack Obama endorsed Joe Torsella in his race for Pennsylvania State Treasurer. Torsella is among a select group of state candidates from around the country to be endorsed by the President.
“I’m proud to endorse Joe Torsella for Pennsylvania State Treasurer. I nominated Joe as our Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform, and he did a great job fighting for reform, bringing transparency to the UN, and saving money for American taxpayers,” said Obama. “He has the experience and integrity to protect Pennsylvanian’s money as Treasurer. And Joe has the right vision for this office, which can make a real difference in people’s lives — his innovative plan to help families save for college without raising taxes will expand opportunity. Joe’s a commonsense leader who will help move us forward.”
The race has drawn national interest because of Torsella’s long record of public service. From 2011 to 2014, Torsella was US Ambassador to the UN for Management and Reform, the United States government’s fiscal watchdog at the UN. As an outsider, Torsella spoke frankly about the need for the UN to end “business as usual” and frequently reminded his UN colleagues that the “obligation to our taxpayers” is to “do more with less.” Torsella has also served as a Deputy Mayor of Philadelphia and the founding President and CEO of the National Constitution Center.
Torsella has proposed establishing a universal and automatic savings account for every child born in Pennsylvania, seeded with an initial modest contribution, and designated for college or vocational training. Torsella will work with partners in state government, the financial and philanthropic sectors, to create a wealth-building, college-going culture that empowers all of Pennsylvania’s families.
“I am deeply honored to be endorsed by Barack Obama based on my record of bringing real reform to public institutions, and my vision for using this office to lift the financial fortunes of all Pennsylvanians,” Torsella said. “I was proud to serve in his administration, and if elected I will be proud to work every day in Harrisburg to restore integrity, to fight for taxpayers, and to create economic opportunity for every Pennsylvania family.”
