Instead, four white candidates with significant campaign funds were on the Democratic Committee’s list of leadership candidates on Sunday, and the winner – John Weinstein – has more cash than most of his opponents combined. Supporters of the Pittsburgh Black Empowerment Project say this is a reflection of the $7,500 price tag, which is prohibitive for many candidates of color.
“We are an economically impoverished community,” PBEP CEO Tim Stevens told Pittsburgh City Paper. “As a group, Black and brown people are at the very bottom economically in this country. [The fees are] a ban on people from these groups applying for this support.”
Meet the Democrats running for Allegheny County Executive (so far)
Liv Bennet, an incumbent Allegheny County councilwoman and the first black woman to run for county executive, had just $2,500 available at the end of last year, campaign finance records show. Meanwhile, Weinstein closed out 2022 with nearly $500,000. Another black executive candidate, William Parker, does not appear to have filed any campaign returns for the past year.
Bennet released a statement before the confirmation, explaining why she did not enter.
Allegheny Co. Democrats split the difference on major 2023 recommendations
” [Allegheny County Democratic Committee] “The fees are an example of how a public office was designed with wealthy people in mind, not the indigent or working class,” her statement said. “Although they have been downgraded, they are still out of reach for many Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), working class, and candidates from other marginalized populations.”
The county Democratic Party charges candidates $7,500 for a chance to win endorsements for countywide offices, including executive, treasurer, comptroller and judges on the Court of Common Pleas. Endorsement offers for other offices are priced on a sliding scale, with positions on the Pittsburgh City Council and the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board costing $500 on the low end, and citywide offices such as mayor and controller costing $2,000.
Stevens says he met with committee members shortly before they were attacked during a news conference last week. His goal, he says, was to convince them to waive those fees altogether.
“Economic disparities based on race and gender are deeply entrenched in this society, at the regional and national levels,” Stevens said. “And that affects who feels they can run for office.
County Democratic Party Chairman Sam Hans-Greco said he has historically supported fee reforms, but noted that since becoming chairman last year, he feels he has to balance that with the responsibility of following the approval procedures outlined in the charter.
“I have been a strong advocate of change in the past,” Hans-Greco said City Gazette. “But we have to follow the rules.”
During his first year in charge, Hans-Greco said he initiated change by lowering referral fees for most offices and adopting a up-to-date approach to spending referral funds.
Hans-Greco says that instead of investing the proceeds directly into the winning candidate’s campaign, most of this year will be spent on developing and distributing voter guides with detailed information on all candidates. He says the move even sparked criticism from some endorsement winners.
“I believe ACDC has a responsibility to provide information to voters,” he said. “And I think the voter guide will be the tool to do that.”
When asked about possible cost prohibitions, Hans-Greco said the fees were reasonable given the size of the office and realistic campaign costs.
“I think there is a certain price and a certain cost to running a campaign,” Hans-Greco said. “I don’t think it’s that much of an amount – especially compared to what we used to charge.
While this year’s race may lack diversity, Hans-Greco said the recent elections of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-12, and several Black judges suggest things are heading in the right direction.
“I think it needs to be looked at from a broader perspective,” he said. “In my opinion, Allegheny County has elevated African Americans to higher positions in a remarkable way.”
Hans-Greco said he expects discussions about fees to resurface at an upcoming bylaw meeting.
Stevens said he still doesn’t want change.
“I hope they reconsider this before the next primary school comes around,” he says.
