PennLive’s 2024 general election voter guide: Treasurer

Candidates running in this year’s general election were asked to submit information to the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters, which partnered with PennLive to create this voter guide.

The following candidates are in a closely contested race for Pennsylvania Secretary of the Treasury and are listed in the order given by the League of Women Voters.

Erin McClelland

Party: Democratic

County: Alleghenies

Job: Process Improvement Consultant

Education: BS Psychology and Economics, MS Psychology

Qualifications: I started and managed a small business, took a year of training in process improvement and organizational problem solving under former U.S. Treasury Secretary O’Neill, and did 9 years of process improvement for government systems in Allegheny County

Contact: erinmcclelland.com | facebook.com/ErinforPA |

Do you plan to make any improvements in the State Finance Department?

I would expand the information you can see in the state contracts database, including searching for vendors by union/non-union and women and minority-owned businesses. I would provide a recommended vendor list that complies with U.S. trade policies to fulfill state purchases, such as ensuring we do not buy from companies that use slave labor, child labor, or conflict mining materials. I would not invest in foreign holdings, and I would reinstate the retirement investment standards that existed before the 2003 retirement deregulation.

How can you make the work of the State Treasury more transparent to the public?

Transparency is a word thrown around in politics. But it is only truly achieved when it is shown at inconvenient times and when we make mistakes. It is rare for elected officials to identify mistakes in the name of improving performance. This needs to change. The current Treasury Assets report only states what is going well. It does not identify opportunities for improvement. I would let taxpayers know where we can make improvements or where we may have made mistakes, the reason for the mistake, and the correction. I also hope to move toward incorporating ESG (environmental, sustainability, governance) ratings into investment standards if such a rating is determined to be a viable metric.

Stacy Garrity

Party: Republican

County: Bradford

Job: Pennsylvania State Secretary of Finance

Education: Bachelor of Science in Finance/Minor in Economics Bloomsburg University | Certificate Cornell University Graduate School of Business Administration

Qualifications: A 30-year decorated member of the U.S. Army Reserve, with three deployments to the Middle East including a battalion command | 34 years in private sector manufacturing, she retired as one of the first female vice presidents of Global Tungsten & Powders, an international refractory metals company.

Contact: garrityforpa.com | facebook.com/GarrityForPA | www.instagram.com/stacyforpa?igsh=emNxbnkwMWpxZzJ2

Do you plan to make any improvements in the State Finance Department?

I will continue the progress made during my tenure. Since January 2021, I have worked with my bipartisan team in the Treasury Office to set a new record for returning unclaimed property (more than $274 million in a single year and more than $600 million in total), earn our first Gold Rating from Morningstar for our PA 529 College & Career Program (making it one of the top two programs in the nation), and nearly triple the assets in the PA ABLE savings program for people with disabilities (to more than $115 million).

I will continue to reduce fees on both of Treasury’s savings programs: PA 529 (which has saved account holders more than $11 million so far) and PA ABLE (which has reduced fees three times so far).

How can you make the work of the State Treasury more transparent to the public?

Transparency is a core principle under my watch. Every dollar that comes into the treasury and every dollar that is paid out belongs to the taxpayers. They deserve to see exactly what is happening with their money.

Before I took office, the Pennsylvania Department of the Treasury received a “C” grade for transparency. This is unacceptable, so I immediately began working to improve transparency at all levels.

I’ve added several new features to the Transparency Portal on the Treasury website, making it easier for people to see our state spending, revenue, and budget. I’ve added county-level data for all of Treasury’s programs, and I’ve revamped the Fiscal Health Scorecard, which lets people easily compare Pennsylvania’s fiscal performance to other states.

Nikolas Ciesielski

Party: Libertarian

County: Westmoreland

Job: Engineer

Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University

Qualifications: Ability to solve complex problems, leadership positions professionally and within the Libertarian Party, strong foundation in the Austrian school of economics.

Contact: nickcforpa.com | facebook.com/nickcforpa | www.instagram.com/nickcforpa/

Do you plan to make any improvements in the State Finance Department?

The biggest issue for me is the state debt. The legislature should not put future generations of Pennsylvanians in debt. The federal debt is over $35 trillion and the debt per citizen is over $104,000. The Treasury Board reports an additional $4,000 in debt per person. I will refuse to issue any bonds that will further increase the state debt. I will also push to eliminate state pensions and convert all state employees to 457 retirement plans to prevent taxpayers from risking bailing out the currently 64% funded pension fund. I will also add a significant Bitcoin allocation to state investment funds, including the pension fund.

How can you make the work of the State Treasury more transparent to the public?

The transparency portal does not provide an easy breakdown of what investment pools are actually investing in. The public deserves to know where their money is being invested and to determine whether those investments are aligned with their values. I will also make all records publicly available and implement a system to crowdsource the auditing of the treasury, helping average citizens earn small rewards and hold their government accountable.

Troy Bowman

Party: Constitution

County: Lancaster

This candidate has not completed his 2024 general election voter guide.

Chris Foster

Party: Forward

County: Alleghenies

Job: Real Estate Sales Representative

Education: Bachelor of Arts

Contact: chrisfosterforpatreasurer.com | facebook.com/chrisfoster553 |

Do you plan to make any improvements in the State Finance Department?

As an independent State Treasurer, I will ensure that the office serves all Pennsylvanians, regardless of party interests. In line with the Forward Party’s no-nonsense, independent approach, I will increase transparency and accessibility so citizens understand how their tax dollars are being managed. We are building a ground-up movement focused on fiscal responsibility and collaboration to ensure a safe and prosperous fiscal future for all.

How can you make the work of the State Treasury more transparent to the public?

As State Treasurer, I will implement user-friendly tools that allow citizens to track their spending and investments and ensure accountability. My focus will be to create a clear, concise and responsive government by ensuring everyone understands how their money is being spent.