(Allentown, PA, Feb. 9, 2024) – Today Mark Pinsley dropped off more than 1500 of signatures in Harrisburg, beyond the minimum required to qualify. As Lehigh County Controller, Mark is the only Democrat running for Auditor General who has done the job of auditor.

The Auditor General has the power to bring transformative change to the state and requires the technical know-how of fiscal management. Mark is ready to investigate powerful government agencies and industries, shining light on waste, fraud, and abuse. He is ready to audit for impact, focusing on the following areas:

• Return and Reimagine Education Audits

Mark will conduct sweeping, comprehensive audits detailing the costs of our underfunded public education system. Underfunding education hurts our state’s competitiveness, damages our economy, harms our children’s health, and puts their future prosperity at risk.

 

• Scrutinize Healthcare Spending for Inflated Costs

Mark will evaluate healthcare spending to potentially find millions of dollars in savings, ensuring everyone is provided quality healthcare and not paying for artificially inflated costs – a job he has already done in Lehigh County.

 

• Protecting Children from System Failure

Mark will ensure proper oversight of funds that should be spent to protect children’s best interests. This involves state systems, including foster care, therapy, children and youth services, family courts, and guardians ad litems.

 

• Fighting Wage Theft to Support Unions

Each year, millions of workers are paid less than the minimum wage, at a significant cost to taxpayers and state economies. Mark will audit wage theft showing the impact on our workers and our ordinary citizens.

 

• Beyond the Human Cost of Gun Violence

Mark will study the economic impact of gun violence in our community. We will not fear the backlash of the gun industry, instead, we will make it clear what gun violence costs the people of Pennsylvania.

 

During Pinsley’s tenure as Controller, he’s identified ways to reduce county healthcare costs by $70 million over ten years – more than 23% of the county’s total healthcare spend, advocated for dozens of children wrongly removed from their families by powerful hospital networks, promoted environmental sustainability and pushed to divest $140M of taxpayer money from big banks over their support of dangerous anti-choice candidates.

Mark has a history of winning tough races as the first Democrat elected in South Whitehall Township in over 20 years and flipping the Lehigh County Controller’s Office from red to blue in 2019. Mark has investigated powerful institutions including insurance companies, prisons, and hospitals. He will make the same commitment to the people of the Commonwealth – accountability and transparency.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Paige Wolf, Paige Wolf Media & Public Relations