Bradford City Councilman Tim Pecora feels the city treasurer’s office isn’t being managed to its full potential, so he has thrown his hat in the ring for the Republican nod for the treasurer’s position in the May primary election.
“Now I am in my sixth year on council,” Pecora said, speaking to an Era reporter Friday evening. “Initially when you first come on, you have your hands full trying to make sure you understand how the pieces fit.
“When you figure out where the pieces fit, you figure out some things aren’t the way they should be,” he said.
He was careful to say that he isn’t trying to make things personal toward current treasurer Karen Hector.
“I just think the treasurer’s office is not doing what it needs to be doing, according to Third Class City code,” Pecora said. “There are revenue streams out there that aren’t being collected.”
In the announcement he released to The Era on Friday, Pecora stated, “I adamantly feel that the citizens and taxpayers of the city have been underserved by an underperforming city treasurer’s office. Revenue streams that are by law to be enforced by the office have not been. This underperformance has resulted in additional tax burden to the taxpayers of the city. I would like an opportunity to correct this imbalance.”
When asked for specifics, he mentioned the business privilege tax and the mercantile tax as examples. He described the current collection efforts as being “all over the place,” with some paying and others simply refusing to do so.
Ensuring those revenues are collected uniformly is “part of what the city treasurer’s office should be doing,” Pecora said. Yet that’s only part of why he plans to run.
“A bigger piece of it is, this is my hometown,” he said. “This is where I grew up. There’s a certain part of me that wants to see my hometown do good, and it’s my desire to make a difference.
“I just feel the office could definitely be run better.”
Should he be successful in the primary and the fall general election, he would step down from his council seat and leave his current employment “to focus on the duties of the office as a full-time city treasurer.”
Pecora acknowledged that some residents may have questions about his decision, and said he is open to any question from his constituents.
When asked if his current seat on council would give him any advantage — real or perceived — in the primary, Pecora adamantly stated that he would never use his position in a manner that might influence a political race for another post, or to influence city employees to support him over another candidate.
“There would be absolutely none of that,” he said. “Each employee would be free to vote as their conscience dictates.”
He added, “I think I’ve got a good background and a good basis, good knowledge to come in and take a look at how things are done and find some efficiencies.”
Pecora, who lives on Harding Avenue, has been on city council since January 2014. He is currently serving the second year of his second term.
Since January 2014, Pecora has been employed at Sundahl Insurance as a commercial account executive. He was previously employed at Control Chief Corp. for two years and Burns & Burns Associates of Bradford for eight years. His prior work experience includes positions with other insurance companies.
Pecora is a graduate of Bradford Area High School and the University of Pittsburgh-Main Campus, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and economics.
He is a member of the Kiwanis Club, Bradford Union Lodge #749 F&AM, Tuna Valley Trail Association, McKean County Rifle Club, Bradford Landmark Society, LaStella Lodge, National Rifle Association and St. Bernard Church.
He previously was a member of the board of directors of the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce from 2002 to 2009 and was president of the board from 2007 to 2008.
He was also on the board of directors of the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corp. for a one-year term in 2009 and currently serves on the board of directors of the Bradford Kiwanis Club.
