Joe Torsella Sets Early Record, Raising $1 Million To Run For State Treasurer

FLOURTOWN, Pa., Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Joe Torsella, the founding President and former CEO of the National Constitution Center and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform, announced today that he had raised $1,017,000 from donors from April through December of 2014, shattering fundraising records for any candidate for Pennsylvania row office 22 months ahead of the general election.  Torsella also revealed he had filed papers formally designating his political committee for the 2016 open-seat contest to elect a new Pennsylvania State Treasurer. 

"My career has focused on making public institutions work better and more efficiently," said Torsella. "I'm running for State Treasurer because it's a job that has a significant impact on the lives of Pennsylvanians – making higher education more affordable for the middle class through the 529 college savings program, building the economic security of families and seniors, and protecting the investments of our citizens.  The response so far from early supporters has been terrific, but we're just getting started."

Torsella's fundraising report for 2014 will show that he had $995,242 on hand as of December 31.

About Joe Torsella

Joseph M. Torsella has built a distinguished career as a public servant specializing in making public institutions work better and more efficiently.  From 2011 until last year, Torsella served as U.S. Representative to the United Nations for UN Management and Reform.  In that role, Ambassador Torsella (Ret.) was the architect and chief public spokesperson for the U.S.-led reform of the $36 billion UN budget system.  During his tenure at the UN, Torsella reversed a decade-long trend of unbridled growth in UN budgets (including securing only the second UN budget reduction in 50 years) and brought new transparency to the UN through webcasting of meetings and publication of UN audits.

Before that, Torsella served as the Chairman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, leading the Board to pass a landmark accountability measure implementing rigorous statewide requirements for high school graduation.

From 1997 to 2003, Ambassador Torsella was the founding President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a non-profit museum and education center dedicated to explaining and celebrating American ideas and ideals. In that position, he steered the $185 million project from early concept to successful opening.  He returned to the Constitution Center for a second term as CEO from 2006 to 2009, persuading President George H. W. Bush to join the Center as its Chairman, and working to establish the Center's international program, including democracy education work in Afghanistan.

Torsella earned widespread acclaim for his service as a Deputy Mayor of the City of Philadelphia in 1992-1993.  In that role, Torsella – serving under Mayor Ed Rendell – led many of the management reforms that closed that city's $1.2 billion cumulative deficit.  He has been active in civic life, including chairing Philadelphia's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Ambassador Torsella is a former Rhodes Scholar and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Carolyn P. Short, a partner at Reed Smith LLP, have four children and live in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.

SOURCE Joseph Torsella