Nickolas Ciesielski

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Nickolas Ciesielski

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Shady Side Academy

Bachelor's

Carnegie Mellon University, 2014

Personal

Birthplace

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Profession

Mechanical engineer

Contact

Campaign website

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Nickolas Ciesielski (Libertarian Party) ran for election for Pennsylvania Treasurer. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Ciesielski completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Nickolas Ciesielski was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Shady Side Academy. He earned a bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014. His career experience includes working as a mechanical engineer and managing maintenance and machining operations at a facility in the oil sector.

Elections

2024

See also: Pennsylvania Treasurer election, 2024

General election

General election for Pennsylvania Treasurer

Incumbent Stacy Garrity defeated Erin McClelland, Nickolas Ciesielski, Troy Bowman, and Chris Foster in the general election for Pennsylvania Treasurer on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacy Garrity (R)	51.9	3,542,336
		Erin McClelland (D)	45.6	3,115,393
		Nickolas Ciesielski (L)	1.5	99,228
	Submit photo	Troy Bowman (Constitution Party)	0.6	40,886
		Chris Foster (Forward Party)	0.4	26,753

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,824,596
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Treasurer

Erin McClelland defeated Ryan Bizzarro in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania Treasurer on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erin McClelland	54.0	547,345
		Ryan Bizzarro	45.5	461,905
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	5,278

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,014,528
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Alan Butkovitz (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Pennsylvania Treasurer

Incumbent Stacy Garrity advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania Treasurer on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacy Garrity	99.3	853,284
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	5,658

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 858,942
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ciesielski in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nickolas Ciesielski completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ciesielski's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, and I am a graduate of Shady Side Academy, where I played football and wrestled. I earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

After graduation, I spent some time working for a small local company developing flight simulators before taking a position with another local company that developed railroad equipment. In 2019, I was offered the opportunity to make an internal move within that company to the oil industry in Midland, Texas. In this role, I was responsible for various aspects of plant operations, including maintenance, machining, and special projects aimed at improving plant functionality.

During the economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 response, I was given the chance for another internal transfer to an engineering role in Atlanta, Georgia, where I developed products for transit rail systems. After several years in that position, I decided to move back home to Pittsburgh, where I currently reside in Hempfield Township.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• No New Debt- I will refuse to allow the state debt to increase and will force lawmakers to pay off all current debt. I will not allow lawmakers to force future Pennsylvanians to pay for the excesses of today. It is time to secure a financially sustainable future for Pennsylvania.
• Accountability and Transparency- I will hold lawmakers accountable by ensuring they spend responsibly and that no money goes towards programs that violate the natural rights of Pennsylvanians. I will work to create an extremely transparent record of all state financial activities. As a libertarian, I am not owned by either of the major parties and can be a truly independent watchdog over the legislature.
• Financial Innovation for the Future- I will work to incorporate Bitcoin and other alternative assets in the state financial management strategy. This will include accepting Bitcoin as payment directly and holding Bitcoin as an asset in investment funds.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Government spending and debt.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The fact that the State Treasurer is elected, rather than appointed, means that the Treasurer is empowered by the people to provide a check against lawmakers who may want to spend irresponsibly or seek bailouts when they are derelict in duties, such as passing a budget. This is the single most important responsibility an elected Treasurer can fulfill.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

For Books: Anatomy of the State by Murray Rothbard, The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous

Podcasts: Part of the Problem, the Tom Woods Show, Bitcoin Audible

Film: Divide and Dominate: How the Powerful Steal More Power

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should not seek to make a career out of public office, nor should they serve for power or personal gain. Additionally, they should prioritize individual rights, property rights, and the principle of non-aggression as their highest values. Their efforts should be focused solely on defending the rights of their constituents.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe that, as an engineer, I have been trained to analyze complex problems and work through them piece by piece. I create models to determine the best potential solutions, prototype and test them in the real world, and then refine and optimize the solutions to achieve the best possible outcomes. I think this, combined with my strong Libertarian principles, will enable me to analyze all possible solutions and identify what is best for the prosperity of all Pennsylvanians.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The biggest responsibility of the State Treasurer is to responsibly manage the state treasury, including state pension funds. Part of this responsibility means being honest about the state’s financial position and ensuring that lawmakers do not have a blank check to spend however they want, but are instead forced to spend responsibly. Additionally, the State Treasurer is responsible for ensuring that unclaimed property is properly documented and returned to its rightful owner.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that comes to mind is September 11. I was in the 4th grade at the time, so I believe 9 years old.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

The most important responsibility is to manage the treasury responsibly and ensure that the state is put in a stronger financial position. This requires holding every elected official accountable and refusing to give them blank checks. It also means preventing the state from issuing more debt and refusing to issue bonds to cover for the legislature when they fail to pass a budget.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I believe the role of Treasurer is largely a mystery to most people. While many may assume it involves managing state funds, responsibilities such as managing pension funds, maintaining a database of unclaimed property, overseeing 529 educational savings accounts, and issuing state debt are all aspects of the job that may not be widely understood.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. We are supposed to have a government of and by the people, not a government run by a ruling political class. If a reasonably intelligent person is unable to step into an elected position, quickly understand the job, and begin executing it in a reasonable amount of time, that's a clear indicator that the government is far too large, with excessive bureaucracy and too much power.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

As a Libertarian, I am fundamentally committed to fighting the expansion of government power and out-of-control spending. I have dedicated significant time to gaining a deep understanding of money and what constitutes sound money, along with a broad knowledge of economics, particularly from an Austrian School perspective.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I am fully committed to financial transparency and government accountability. My plan is to use the fact that I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican to hold both parties accountable and provide a much-needed independent check on their spending habits. As a Bitcoiner, I bring a unique perspective on financial transparency, since Bitcoin operates on an open ledger where every on-chain transaction is visible and auditable by anyone. While I don’t expect the state to be making many transactions directly in Bitcoin, the state can certainly be much more transparent in its financial dealings.

Additionally, there are ways to leverage the Bitcoin blockchain, which have been experimented with, to verify documents and create a crowdsourced audit system. I would like to explore the development and implementation of such a system to further engage citizens in holding their government accountable.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

Yes, I believe that voters should have recourse through a ballot initiative process. This mechanism empowers citizens to propose changes that can directly address the issues they face and ensure their voices are heard. However, I believe this process should be specifically limited to initiatives that aim to reform the corrupt structures and practices of government and to defend natural rights.

In an environment where government overreach and corruption can undermine our freedoms, a focused ballot initiative process can serve as a vital tool for holding elected officials accountable. It allows voters to take action on important issues that may be ignored by the political establishment. By concentrating on reforms that eliminate corruption and safeguard individual liberties, we can foster a government that truly reflects the values of the people.

Ultimately, the goal of any ballot initiative process should be to enhance transparency, accountability, and the protection of natural rights, ensuring that government serves the interests of its citizens rather than special interests.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Nickolas Ciesielski campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Pennsylvania Treasurer	Lost general	$1,665	$1,693
Grand total			$1,665	$1,693
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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