Tyler Titus announces bid for Erie County Executive

by Rex Apps

Tyler Titus (they/them/their) the first openly transgender person elected to public office in Pennsylvania, and the current Erie School Board President announced February 10 on Zoom their candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Erie County Executive.

Current County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper announced on December 15 that she would not be running for election in 2021.

Titus grew up in Titusville, Pennsylvania and later moved to Erie in 2003 when they attended Mercyhurst University graduating with a Bachelor of Art's degree in Marriage and Family Studies. After an internship with the Erie County Office of Children and Youth (ECOCY) they were hired as a case worker in 2007. In 2012, they earned a Master's degree in Community Counseling. Most recently in 2020, Titus received their Doctorate in social work. They are also a licensed professional mental health counselor in private practice.

Tyler is the founder and CEO of Compton's Table, an organization for queer youth. They serve as the Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Commission of LGBT Affairs as well as on the Advisory Counsel for the Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE).

Currently, only fellow Democrat Carl Anderson and Republican Brenton Davis have announced they are also seeking the county's top job.

The Primary election for Pennsylvania is set for Tuesday, May 18. All candidates must return their petitions with at least the minimum number of voters' signatures from their party by March 9 to be placed on the ballot.