March, 2000

Allegheny County has frequently suffered from isolation in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. as a result of numerous individuals purporting to speak for the County, including various Commissioners, row officers, appointed officials, etc. There has also been disagreement between city and county, and between outlying counties and Allegheny County.

Southwestern Pennsylvania suffers from many of the same ills that plague other urbanized areas of Pennsylvania. Too often, however, the region has fought within and among itself, or against other parts of the state, rather than seeking to find common ground. The County Executive has a rare opportunity to display leadership, partnership, and enterprise in building new relationships across the region and the state to help meet the serious needs of the County.

Coordination: To be effective in Harrisburg and Washington, the County must

In another time, when the voices of the late John Heinz, Richard Caliguiri and Tom Foerster could serve as regional advocates, there was a less pressing need for comprehensiveness and collaboration. Those days are long gone.

Leadership: The vacuum in regional leadership created by the collapse of the three commissioner system four years ago and the deaths of critical regional leaders must be filled. No other elected official in western Pennsylvania has the leadership opportunities that exist in the County Executive’s office.

Partnership: Regional cohesion is at best a rare thing. To be effective as a regional leader, the County Executive must build effective partnerships with other elected officials. Legislative advocacy in Harrisburg and Washington provide a highly visible way of building partnerships not only within this region but also with other affected parts of the State.

Enterprise: The region must develop a "business plan" for public sector investment in facilities, infrastructure, maintenance, and more. The plan should include fairly accurate dollar amounts and methods by which state and/or federal funds can be accessed.

New Policies: Long-term economic and environmental health in the County will demand significant new state and federal policies, particularly in the following areas:

To be effective in Harrisburg and Washington, the County must collaborate with the City of Pittsburgh, regional authorities, Sustainable Pittsburgh and the Southwestern PA Growth Alliance (made up of area counties and businesses) to set out a comprehensive set of Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. needs and justifications. The County executive will need to play a key role in setting priorities. The County should also build coalitions with similarly affected regions (e.g., Philadelphia) to ensure sufficient legislative muscle to affect Harrisburg and Washington decision-making.

A less thorough effort will likely not create the amount of leverage needed to truly grow our region on a sustainable basis.