Leadership rooted
in service.
A municipal commissioner, a public finance advisor, and a volunteer firefighter and EMT. The approach is the same in all three rooms: show up, tell the truth, and do the work.
- Elected office
- Commissioner, Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
- Regional
- President, CONNECT
- Profession
- Public finance
- Service
- Firefighter & EMT
Closest to daily life is where it matters most.
I serve as Commissioner for Ward 5 in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where the work is practical governance, responsible planning, and the long-term strength of the community. Local government matters most when it is closest to people’s daily lives and capable of meeting real needs.
I am also President of CONNECT, the Congress of Neighboring Communities, a coalition of 41 municipalities together with Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh. That work has reinforced something I keep running into: the region’s biggest problems cannot be solved by any one institution acting alone. They require durable partnerships and a willingness to build capacity across local government.
Public service is not about performance. It is about stewardship.
What separates strong public organizations from weak ones.
My professional work has centered on public finance, government strategy, and the long-term decisions that determine whether a community can thrive: long-range planning, infrastructure investment and fiscal sustainability, and how institutions actually make decisions. I previously served as Chief Administrative Officer for Public Finance at BNY Mellon.
It is almost never the quality of intentions. It is disciplined planning, honest assessment of risk, and the capacity to follow through. Budgets matter. Long-term obligations matter. Infrastructure matters. Public confidence depends on competence as much as on values.
Service in its most direct form.
I am a volunteer firefighter and EMT. That work has taught me more about what a community actually needs from its emergency services than any conference ever has.
Emergency service does not reward slogans. It demands preparation, teamwork, calm decision making, and a willingness to act when someone needs help. It is a standing reminder that public service is responsibility: to your neighbors, to your crew, and to the place you serve. Institutions work best when they are prepared, grounded, and built to respond when it matters.
Where the habits came from.
I was raised in a family shaped by public service. Both of my parents served in the Army, and after retiring from the military my father went on to serve in city government as a finance director and city manager. The lesson stuck: leadership is not status, it is responsibility.
My own path took a few turns. I lived in Germany as a boy, studied in Russia during a period of major political and economic transition, and spent time working as a ranch hand in Wyoming and Montana. Those years built habits that still hold: humility, resilience, and respect for people who do hard work without much fanfare.
My wife Corey and I have lived in Mt. Lebanon since 2010. We are raising our family in the community we serve.
Four commitments.
Government should be capable.
Public institutions should be able to do what they promise, and do it well.
Government should be accountable.
Trust is not automatic and it is not permanent. It is earned through honesty, transparency, and results.
Government should think long term.
Communities are not well served by deferred maintenance, deferred cost, or decisions that avoid a hard truth.
Public service is stewardship.
Leadership is not occupying the space. It is taking responsibility for what was entrusted to you and leaving it stronger.
Meet needs. Sustain systems. Preserve choice.
The short form of a longer argument about institutional capacity. Governing Room is where it is worked out.
Occasional notes, when there is something worth sending.
New essays and the occasional working note on public finance, local government, and civic institutions. No campaign mail. No forwarding of your address to anyone.