Candidate information for 2023 Allegheny County government offices. Explanation of Allegheny County 2023 ballot question regarding County Council pay - League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh

HomeCounty Government Candidates

Allegheny County Candidates
November 7, 2023 - Municipal Elections

Allegheny County Government

Several key positions in the Allegheny County government are up for election in 2023. Allegheny County has an annual budget of about 3 billion dollars, employs 6000 people, and provides services ranging from road maintenance to public health to law enforcement for the county's 1,200,000+ residents.

Learn more on our Allegheny County Government page.

2023 Election Information

Which County officials are up for election?

What does the Ballot Question mean?

Learn more about these positions, and find candidate guides for:

Chief Executive - incumbent, Rich Fitzgerald, is term-limited and cannot run.

District Attorney

Controller

Treasurer

9 County Council members (districts 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, and both at large positions.

Ballot Question Explanation regarding Allegheny County Council pay

Download our graphic explaining which positions you will see on your ballot in county, municipal and school board races. --->

Municipal Elections 2023 - Who's Running

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Allegheny County Government Candidates

Executive Branch - County Executive and Row Offices

Allegheny County Executive

Candidates

Democratic: Sara Innamorato
Republican: Joseph E. Rockey

The County Executive is the highest elected official in the county and heads the executive branch of Allegheny County government. The county executive is responsible for representing the county in meetings and negotiations, controlling and being accountable for departments, enforcing ordinances and law, submitting a comprehensive fiscal plan, making appointments, negotiating and signing contracts, appointing a county manager and solicitor, submitting legislation, declaring states of emergency, calling special meetings, and giving quarterly addresses and an annual state of the county report to council.

The county executive is elected to a 4-year term, with a term limit of 3 consecutive terms.

Candidate Mini-guides

County Executive Candidate Guide
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County Executive Debate

Recorded Live on WTAE-TV
Tuesday, October 3rd

County Controller

Candidates

Democratic: Corey O’Conner
Republican: Bob Howard

The County Controller maintains proper accounting records and processes, pays county bills, manages payroll and retirement benefits, performs internal audits for departments, and prepares the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

County Controller Candidate Guide

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District Attorney

Candidates

Democratic: Matt Dugan
Republican: Steven Zapalla

The District Attorney is the Chief Law Enforcement Office for the county, accepting and prosecuting criminal charges from more than 100 active police departments, as well as approving complaints filed by private citizens.

District Attorney Candidate Guide

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www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1231993

Treasurer

Candidates

Democratic: Erica Rocchi Brusselars
Republican: Herb Ohliger

The Treasurer receives, invests, disburses and safeguards the monies of the county; the office collects real estate tax, the alcoholic beverage tax, the hotel room rental tax, and the vehicle rental tax, and administers the Senior Tax Relief Program.

County Treasurer Candidate Guide

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Legislative Branch - County Council

County Council

Allegheny County Council is made up of 15 members, and functions as the legislative branch of Allegheny County government. 13 county council members are elected by district, and 2 are elected "at large" (county-wide.)

County Council is a part-time position. Regular meetings are held twice a month in the evenings. Members do not receive a salary, or funding for an office or staff. Instead they receive a stipend of about $11,000. Members typically hold a different full-time job.

At Large Candidates
(choose 1)

Democratic: Bethany Hallam
Republican: Sam DeMarco

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District Candidates
(choose 1 for your district)

District 2 Candidates

Democratic: Todd Hamer
Republican: Suzanne Filiaggi

District 5 Candidates

Democratic: Dan Grzybeck
Republican: Mike Embrescia

District 6 Candidates

Democratic: John F. Palmiere
Republican: Sean McGrath

District 7 Candidates

Democratic: Nick Futeles

District 10 Candidates

Democratic: DeWitt Walton
Independent: Carl Redwood

District 11 Candidates

Democratic: Paul Klein
Republican: Eileen Lo Cunningham
United We Stand: Robert McCune

District 13 Candidates

Democratic: David Bonaroti
Independent: Sam Schmidt

2 Members are Elected at Large

Allegheny County Council's two at large members must be from different political parties. In the municipal election, any political party may nominate a candidate for an at large seat. Voters may vote for one, and the top two vote-getters are elected.

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13 Members are Elected by District
Allegheny County is divided into 13 districts, each represented by one County Council member. In 2023, the seats in districts 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, and 13 are up for election. The remaining district seats will be up for election in 2025. County Council members are elected for 4-year terms.

What County District do You Live in? See the map here: County Council District Map

Candidate Mini-guides

County Council Mini-guide
Permanent link for sharing:
www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1232071

Allegheny County Ballot Question
All Allegheny County residents will see the following question on their ballot:

ALLEGHENY COUNTY PROPOSED ORDINANCE SPECIAL ELECTION QUESTION
Shall Article III, Subsection 7(a) of Allegheny County’s Home Rule Charter be amended to provide Council members with an annual salary of $10,939, to be increased no more than 5 percent every 5 years?

Explanation

What would the proposed ordinance do?

The proposed ordinance, if adopted

would pay the members in the form of a salary instead of a stipend.
would not increase the annual amount paid to County Council members.
would not change the timing or amount of allowable pay increases.

The change from a stipend to a salary is meant to recognize that County Council members are being compensated not only for their regular meeting attendance, but also for County Council duties performed outside of the meetings.

Background

County Council members are currently paid $10, 939 per year as a per-meeting stipend. According to the Home Rule Charter, the annual stipend total may be increased by no more than 5% every 5 years.

When the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter was adopted in 2020, the original annual cap on the stipend was $9,000. Since then, it has been raised by 5% every 5 years resulting in the current cap of $10,939.

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