Candidate for
Judge; Court of Common Pleas; District 5

Mark V. Tranquilli was hired by the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office under Robert E. Colville in 1994, serving as a prosecutor in the General Trial Unit until he was promoted to the Robbery Unit in 1998. After Stephen A. Zappala, Jr., was elected district attorney, Mark was one of only two prosecutors selected from among one hundred attorneys to staff the newly-formed Homicide Unit in 2000, where he served for the next five years.

n 2005, when his predecessor Edward J. Borkowski was elected to the Court of Common Pleas, Mark was promoted to supervisor of the Homicide Unit, where he has served Stephen A. Zappala, Jr., as his Deputy District Attorney for the past eight years.

Over the course of a career that has spanned two decades, it has been Mark's privilege to serve the citizens of Allegheny County, keeping the streets safe from violent criminals by prosecuting them in countless trials before judges and juries.

Some of the most notorious cases include: Commonwealth vs. Kenneth Hairston, who raped his step-daughter, then bludgeoned his wife and autistic son to death with a sledgehammer; Commonwealth vs. Andre Crisswalle, who shot a young Taylor Coles, her father and a wheelchair-bound man to death at "Mr. Tommy's" restaurant; Commonwealth vs. Leslie Mollett, who murdered Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Pokorny on Route 376 (old 279) in Carnegie;

Commonwealth vs. William Page, who molested his infant daughter Nyia, then left her outside to freeze to death; Commonwealth vs. Richard Poplawski, who killed Pittsburgh Police officers Sciullo, Mayhle and Kelly; and Commonwealth vs. Ronald Robinson, who shot Penn Hills Officer Crawshaw when he responded to a fatal home invasion.

It has always been Mark's goal to take his extensive experience as a trial lawyer and put it to work for the citizens of Allegheny County, as a trial judge on the Court of Common Pleas bench: after all, the best umpires are those who have actually pitched the fast balls and hit the curves as players, first. By the time a troubled youth reaches Mark's desk now, he or she is already a victim on an autopsy report or a defendant on a criminal case folder; there is not much that can be done, at that late date. As a judge, on the other hand, Mark would have the opportunity to reach these young people much earlier, and possibly send them down a different path. Mark has the reputation of being a tough prosecutor, but a fair one; on the bench, this same combination would allow Mark to help offenders who honestly want rehabilitation, without sacrificing public safety interests to those who do not.

A life-long resident of the South Hills, Mark was raised by his mother after his father left them when Mark was still a toddler. As a public school teacher, Mark's mom struggled to raise her only child as a single parent, instilling in him the core values of hard work, perseverance, and integrity. After graduating with honors in 1985 from Baldwin High School, where his mom taught English, Mark went on to attend Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on an academic scholarship. After he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History in 1989, Mark attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he received his law degree and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1992. In fact, Mark still teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, imparting his extensive trial experience, high ethical standards, and strong work ethic to young law students at his alma mater.

In recognition of these qualities, Mark received the top rating of "Highly Recommended" for judge by the Allegheny County Bar Association. In his spare time, Mark also serves on the board of directors of the Center For Victims of Crime: a non-profit organization dedicated to healing trauma, providing services to crime victims, and breaking the cycle of violence in our community. On a personal note, Mark is forty-six years old, has been married to his wife Kristi for ten years, and has been blessed with three wonderful children: Lucas, Marcus, and Livia