| abstract | - PITTSBURGH, September 20, 2006 — Neighborhood leader and state Treasury supervisor Tim Tuinstra announced his candidacy seeking the Democratic nomination for the Pittsburgh City Council District One special election. Democratic committee members from the district will select the party’s nominee for the November 7 special election at a session this Saturday, September 23. “Pittsburgh needs my combination of youth and experience,” Tuinstra said. “The city’s many challenges demand a new kind of leadership. I bring an outsider’s perspective balanced with the expertise to help provide fiscal stability and quality services.” Among the priorities Tuinstra named for Pittsburgh include fiscal solvency, cleaner neighborhoods, and bringing new residents and families to live in the city. “The sooner we put Pittsburgh on track to balanced budgets, safer streets and customer-friendly service, the more new residents we will attract to begin growing the city,” Tuinstra said. The 35-year-old Tuinstra lives in the city’s Observatory Hill neighborhood on the North Side with his wife Roxanne and two young children. Tuinstra is vice-president of the Observatory Hill Inc. civic organization. He serves as its public safety chair, newsletter editor and is a member of the business committee. Separately, Tuinstra is a member of the council at Smithfield United Church of Christ, Downtown. Tuinstra cited his work as an auditor, first with the state Department of the Auditor General and later with the state Treasury Department, as evidence that he can scrutinize city spending in order to help balance the budget while providing improved service. He currently serves as a supervisor in the Treasury’s southwestern Pennsylvania office in Pittsburgh. “Pittsburgh must find a way to lower the tax burden on our citizens while preserving and improving the level of service,” Tuinstra said. “As an auditor I learned to scrutinize the books, take a hard look at spending to make sure that not a penny is wasted. “I learned, too, that beyond the bean counting, you must ensure that the services funded by the taxpayers get the job done,” Tuinstra said. He cited his efforts guiding block watches and working to bring street cleaning through Observatory Hill’s business district to show his focus on the quality of life issues vital to neighborhoods across the city. 1.
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