PA PAC endorses Ronnie Chatterji for State Treasurer.  We singled out Ronnie Chatterji for endorsement because we found his vision of how the State Treasurer’s office can be used to better achieve an equitable, green and just North Carolina compelling.  Ronnie understands that the primary functions of the Treasurer’s office are to manage the state health plan for employees and retirees in a way that assures high quality health care for all employees and retirees and to manage the state’s $95 billion pension fund to assure that it provides a secure retirement for all state retirees.  But he also understands that as Treasurer, he can leverage the buying power of the health plan to lower health care costs and improve quality of care for everyone in North Carolina and that he can leverage the huge investment power of the treasurer’s office to generate very real environmental and social returns.  In his words: “having $95 billion under management is akin to having 95 billion votes on the future of how the economy works and who benefits from economic growth.  I want North Carolina to be a leader in that conversation and make sure that we are building a portfolio that will perform well over the long-term as issues like climate change, racial diversity and gender equity only become more important.”  Ronnie backs up this vision with considerable expertise.  He is an expert on healthcare and social impact investing. He served as a senior economist on President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors as well as on two state level commissions in Governor Cooper’s administration.