PITTSBURGH – For the first time in more than a decade, Allegheny County voters will elect a novel county executive this year because incumbent Democrat Rich Fitzgerald is term-limited and cannot run again.
The race is not as highly turnout as the contest to become Philadelphia’s next mayor, where Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney is also term-limited.
But the list of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for Allegheny County’s top post is wide ranging, from longtime party supporters to newer, progressive voices.
There is still time for this field to expand even further: The deadline for candidates filing nominating petitions in the first round of voting scheduled for May 16, the deadline is March 7.
Here’s a look at the people who have already announced they will run for county executive.
Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein has been working in his position since 1999 and seems to have the so-called the biggest war chest all candidates, according to Jan. 31 campaign finance reports.
While campaign kick-off event Last month in Pittsburgh, Weinstein pointed to his experience in county government and said he had no plans to seek reelection to his current position, instead intending to go all out in the county government race.
Weinstein told WESA-FM that he believes the relationships he has built during his tenure “can really be beneficial” to the area.
“It is no secret that we face many challenges in this region,” he told the audience at the launch event.
State Representative Sara InnamoratoD-Allegheny, first rose to prominence alongside incumbent U.S. Rep. Summer Lee in 2018 as one of many progressive candidates who defeated longtime Democratic incumbents.
She said during it campaign kick-off event in December that her childhood played a key role in her politics; her father died of a drug overdose, and she, her mother, and her sister struggled financially.
“There were times when my story made me feel alone,” Innamorato said. “But I knew that wasn’t the case. I knew there was strength in our common fight. And when we unite in this solidarity fight, we can achieve great things.”
Longtime Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb in November he announced he would run for the county’s top job. Since 2000, he has held certain positions in local authorities.
Lamb County’s last-ever prothonotary, and uncle of former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, said KDKA-TV that public officials should be independent in thought.
“I know we can provide services better, and I know it’s the county’s job to work with our city partners to do that,” Lamb said.
Erin McClelland is a consultant for the Allegheny County Department of Health and Human Services and says the work helped her run for county executive.
“We have a labor crisis,” she told the Capital-Star. “We are operating well below where we should be and there is no chance of fixing it because most of our staff have left the civil service.”
She said her top priority will be to address the county’s hiring practices, which she described as “totally outdated, outdated and oppressive.”
Allegheny County Councilor Olivia Bennett she said she considers the lack of racial equality to be the most essential problem in Allegheny County. The Pittsburgh Commission for Gender Equality found that: Report 2019 that it is the “most unbearable” city for black women.
“This is the most important issue that needs to be addressed in this region,” Bennett told the Capital-Star.
She noted that while a member of the county council, she helped pass an independent police review commission focusing on police accountability.
“I am a coalition builder, a connector and a consensus builder,” she said. “He’s the type of person who should be leading a county that’s struggling with so many issues.”
Former Allegheny County Councilman Dave Fawcett said v announcing his campaign to the county executive in December that his experience as a trial lawyer has prepared him for the role and that he is not afraid to take on massive challenges.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that our children from all parts of the county have equal opportunities for education, health and, later, great employment opportunities here in Pittsburgh,” Fawcett said.
