Thomas Duerr

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Thomas Duerr

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Allegheny County Council District 5

Successor: Dan Grzybek

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Education

Bachelor's

Penn State University Smeall College of Business, 2017

Personal

Birthplace

Bethel Park, Pa.

Contact

Campaign website

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Thomas Duerr (Democratic Party) was a member of the Allegheny County Council in Pennsylvania, representing District 5. He assumed office on January 2, 2020. He left office on January 2, 2024.

Duerr (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Allegheny County Council to represent District 5 in Pennsylvania. He won in the general election on November 5, 2019.

Duerr completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Duerr was born in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Penn State University Smeall College of Business in 2017.

Below is a brief timeline of Duerr's professional experience:

• May 2019: GOTV director, Anna Batista for PPS School Board
• February-April 2019: Deputy field director, Pam Iovino for State Senate
• January-November 2018: Field organizer, Conor Lamb for Congress
• August-November 2016: Field organizer, Hillary for America

As of 2019, Duerr was affiliated with the following organizations:

• Bethel Park Democratic Committee, Elected member
• Allegheny County Democratic Committee, Elected member
• Allegheny County Young Democrats, Associate member

Elections

2019

See also: Municipal elections in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (2019)

General election

General election for Allegheny County Council District 5

Thomas Duerr defeated incumbent Sue Means in the general election for Allegheny County Council District 5 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Duerr (D)	59.8	14,842
	Submit photo	Sue Means (R)	40.1	9,954
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	15

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,811
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Allegheny County Council District 5

Thomas Duerr advanced from the Democratic primary for Allegheny County Council District 5 on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Duerr	99.0	6,254
		Other/Write-in votes	1.0	64

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,318
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Allegheny County Council District 5

Incumbent Sue Means advanced from the Republican primary for Allegheny County Council District 5 on May 21, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sue Means	97.8	3,814
		Other/Write-in votes	2.2	87

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,901
= 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

Duerr was endorsed by the following organizations:

• Steel City Stonewall Democrats,
• Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania PAC,
• Run For Something,
• Sierra Club of Pennsylvania, and
• ASCEND PAC.

Duerr was endorsed by the following individuals:

• County Executive Rich Fitzgerald,
• Pennsylvania State Senator Pam Iovino,
• County Councilman DeWitt Walton, and
• Pennsylvania State Representative Austin Davis.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Thomas Duerr completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Duerr'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 am a lifelong Bethel Park resident and former Hillary Clinton, Congressman Conor Lamb and State Senator Pam Iovino staffer in Southwestern PA. While working on those campaigns, I spoke with thousands of voters of behalf of those candidates and it has given me invaluable insight into the issues that face this region and I would love to take that knowledge and put it to good use for the people of Allegheny County District 5.

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?

• Constituent Access and Availability
• Protect / Enhance Quality of Life for District 5 / Allegheny County Residents
• Support / Expand Union Rights and Jobs in Region

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Voting Rights

2. Social Equality Rights

3. Union Rights

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

Allegheny County Council serves as the legislative body underneath the County Executive and both bodies serve as a check and balance on each other. The government body was created in 1995, taking the place of the three county commissioner system we used to have in the County. This position serves as the connection between our community and their local county government, which oversees things such as our county's public transportation options, our county's health department and maintaining / repairing over 500 miles of roads and bridges in the county. As these issues are not divisive, nor should they be, this position give the community and outlet to go to to voice their opinions and concerns about some of the most local things they have integrated into their every day life.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Locally, I have had the tremendous honor of working with two of the finest public servants Southwest PA has seen in years - Congressman Conor Lamb and State Senator Pam Iovino. I've learned so much from them, not just on the policy side, but on the campaign side as well, and they've showed me first how to handle yourself as both a candidate and an elected official. They've already shown in their short time in their respective offices that when you put the needs of your constituents first, good things tend to follow.
Nationally, the two figures who have had the most impact on me would be President Barack Obama and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. President Obama was a huge reason I took an interest in public service at an early age, and Secretary Clinton was the first candidate I worked for and was the driving force that kicked off my political activism in Southwest PA. Without the two of them, I doubt I would have had the drive to get to where I am now, let alone have the strong desire to run for local office at such a young age.

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

The West Wing

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

Passion, Integrity, Hard Working, Strong-Willed, People-First Mentality

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

While working with the Clinton, Lamb and Iovino campaigns I learned a lot about what it takes to be an effective candidate and elected official. My main take away from working on those campaigns how important it is to get as many people to the table as possible, to be a coalition builder and to consistently reach out, not just during and election year, to make sure you are serving your district to the best of your ability. I believe my best qualities tie into that ideology. I'm a great communicator, a coalition builder and have always worked well in whatever environment I've been put in - and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to, and work with anyone, to better the lives of the people of Southwest PA.

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

You can't represent your district unless you consistently reach out to make sure you're representing your area to the best of your ability. I believe constituent access is the bedrock of what it takes an effective legislator, and needs to be the heart of anyone running or serving in elected office.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'm running because I want to give back to the community that helped make me the person I am today. My main goal in office is to do everything I can to make the lives of the people of my district just a little bit easier. I want to leave office having accomplished that by building a strong, county wide coalition that insures everyone has a seat at the table and a say in their county government.

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

I was 7 years old at the time of the 9/11 attacks. I only remember bits of that day, but the bits that I do are something I'll never forget.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was as a field organizer with the 2016 Clinton Campaign. I ran Washington and Greene Counties for the campaign and held the position for four months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Night (Elie Wiesel). By far the most impactful book I've ever read. It might not be the happiest of subjects but it's a book that has stuck with me long after I read it.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Not anyone in particular from the series, but a Jedi from the Star Wars universe.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Leader of the Landslide - The Lumineers

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I've struggled with depression for the majority of my adult life. It's something I've gotten more and more comfortable talking about as I've gotten older and something that I'm no longer ashamed to have to deal with. It's a big reason why I've always worked to support candidates who take mental health care seriously, and a topic I would love to immerse myself in should I ever run for higher office.

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

Most people don't know that we are in charge of the public transportation options in the county and that we also oversee the county's board of elections. As those are two incredibly important aspects of our position, I've done my best to educate our community about what we can do in regards to those two issues and all the other local issues county council oversees.

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

Not necessarily, I believe the most important thing is that you have a passion and vision for improving the district you are running in and also have had the life experience to have at least a passing knowledge of some of he most crucial issues facing your district.

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

As this is a very non-divisive position, I believe the most important skill that an office holder for a county council seat could possess is that of a coalition builder. I believe creating strong relationships with the community should be at the foundation of any campaign and elected official, making sure everyone has a seat at the table, especially with local issues like the ones we oversee on county council, needs to be of the upmost importance for whomever holds this seat.

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.

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