Theodore Tolliver got elected to be an auditor on November 4th, 2025. Two years after he graduated, he became Moon Townships auditor.  

What year did you graduate?  

“I am proudly a Moon Area High School Graduate of the Class of 2023.” 

What is an auditor and what did they do? 

“So, Moon Township hires an Independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who does much of the actual auditing of the Township. After they are done with their report, the three elected auditors sit down and look at what the CPA does and asks questions to make sure that the township is being ethical with how money is being spent.” 

What steps, in high school, did you take to be in politics? 

“Throughout high school I took on many leadership roles that helped shape me into having a want to help my community, whether that was being President of the Choir, or even an editor for the newspaper, everything I did helped me learn that I want to help my community. My senior year was probably the most impactful year of my high school career. That was the year that I interned on Chris Deluzio’s campaign to become a United States Representative. Throughout that experience I really learned that I love politics and could see myself going into this type of field.”
 

What happened/ showed you wanted to be in politics in high school? 

“Again, I would dedicate a lot of my interest in politics to Chris Deluzio and Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling. Kathleen was the first campaign that I volunteered for and that allowed me to understand what politics is like and get a better understanding of local government since she was running for a local office. She is one of the first few people that really sparked my interest and passion for politics. Then, the following year was when I worked for Chris Deluzio, that really helped springboard me into understanding our political system and fostered my interest in politics. Chris Deluzio in particular always inspired me because he always made it clear that he cares about young people, even if they can’t vote. Every single time I was in the office helping Chris in 2022, he would always sit down and just talk to me to hear what I felt about things. This was by far one of the most important and impactful experiences of my life.” 

Was there a certain teacher or class that led you to be this way in politics? 

“Two teachers in particular who really helped foster my love for Government and Politics were Mr. Ferri and Mr. Deramo. Mr. Ferri was my 11th grade honors teacher, and, in his class, we learned about American history from Lincoln, up until the current times. In that class I was able to better learn and understand important information about how our government works and why we are is the way we are today. The other class was Mr. Deramo’s AP Government and Politics Class. There, we learned about so many different aspects about the US Government and politics, from the Constitution to how special interest groups impact us today. I truly do accredit much of my passion and interest in government and politics to both amazing teachers!” 

Is there a specific event that occurred to you to start this career? 

“Again, I would say that some of the most impactful people in my career so far have been my family, Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling, and Chris Deluzio. My family has always been supportive of all of my endeavors in every way possible. Kathleen was the first campaign I worked for and again helped inspire me to help my community.” 

Was there anyone else that got elected that was a Moon Area high school graduate? 

“Morgan Mihok, who ran for Moon Area School Board, graduated in 1998.” 

How long have you been working to be a politician? 

“Since early on in my life I knew in my future I wanted to one day run for elected office to serve my community, but never did I imagine that it would be this young. Just a few weeks before the primary election, Kathleen approached me and said that she thinks I should run for Moon Township auditor. My initial response was no, but as I thought more about it, one of my passions is making sure that everyone feels heard and represented in their government. Historically, young people are severely underrepresented in government, and I thought well if nobody else is going to do it, then I will. I wanted to make sure that young people feel like our government, even right here in Moon, works for and represents them.”

What would you want to build up to in your career? 

“I want to do whatever I can to help better my community, and I will follow whatever route that mantra leads me too.”