Quick, name your county council representative....
.... or maybe explain what they do. No googling allowed.
With news of another entrant to the race for Allegheny County Executive, it looks like Rich Fitzgerald will be announcing his candidacy today. Though others are looking to overturn the rule, County Council rules currently require a sitting member to resign in order to run for another office. Remember Jim Simms' bid for County Controller where he also had to give up his role as County Council president to run for county controller. The story was he supposedly had some solid support to back him, but Flaherty snuck in and wrested the ACDC endorsement from him even. So that support must not have really been there and Simms' tenure as the most powerful African American in (the history of?) county politics was cut short by the rule that disallowed incumbents to simultaneously run for other political offices. One could muse over the counterfactual that if he had become controller, he would be in the pole position for ACE now. Him and Mayor Ricciardi I suppose.
It looks like County Councilman Matt Drozd is going to run for Allegheny County Executive and challenge the rule that precludes incumbents from running for other offices. That seems problematic more because there is no "z" in Gaelic which would likely disqualify his petitions in the first place. But with rumblings that County Councilman McCullough will also be running for the office, we have the potential for a truly contested Republican primary which is a rare thing around here. The only real example thus far being the close Acklin-McCullough fight for the Allegheny County Council at-Large seat a few years ago.
Anyway... Maybe a more useful map. Here is a map of Council District 11 that one would suppose Rich F. is about to vacate. So this will allow you to decide if you live in the district and want to consider self-nomination. Do we have a short list of likely candidates?
View Larger Map
With news of another entrant to the race for Allegheny County Executive, it looks like Rich Fitzgerald will be announcing his candidacy today. Though others are looking to overturn the rule, County Council rules currently require a sitting member to resign in order to run for another office. Remember Jim Simms' bid for County Controller where he also had to give up his role as County Council president to run for county controller. The story was he supposedly had some solid support to back him, but Flaherty snuck in and wrested the ACDC endorsement from him even. So that support must not have really been there and Simms' tenure as the most powerful African American in (the history of?) county politics was cut short by the rule that disallowed incumbents to simultaneously run for other political offices. One could muse over the counterfactual that if he had become controller, he would be in the pole position for ACE now. Him and Mayor Ricciardi I suppose.
It looks like County Councilman Matt Drozd is going to run for Allegheny County Executive and challenge the rule that precludes incumbents from running for other offices. That seems problematic more because there is no "z" in Gaelic which would likely disqualify his petitions in the first place. But with rumblings that County Councilman McCullough will also be running for the office, we have the potential for a truly contested Republican primary which is a rare thing around here. The only real example thus far being the close Acklin-McCullough fight for the Allegheny County Council at-Large seat a few years ago.
Anyway... Maybe a more useful map. Here is a map of Council District 11 that one would suppose Rich F. is about to vacate. So this will allow you to decide if you live in the district and want to consider self-nomination. Do we have a short list of likely candidates?
View Larger Map
posted by C. Briem at Friday, January 28, 2011
8 Comments:
The only contested Republican primaries have involved an alleged thief. Uggh. I'm for the guy whose name I can't pronounce.
On the main point, you’d think Fitzgerald would have somebody in mind to replace him. At least, that’s the way it usually seems to work around here.
It's simple: you appoint a replacement, who will step down if you lose, that the majority of council agrees with.
If the right district magistrate seat doesn't open up, maybe the several candidates for a city council seat can utilize this new vacancy on county council to settle things amicably.
Age before beauty?
good point Bram and ya beat me too it!!
Without picking sides.. it would go without saying that Doug S. on county council would lengthen their discourse on any (and every) given topic by an order of magnitude.
Note that is a comment as much on county councils minimalism as it is Doug's verbosity.
What possible interest does anybody but the candidates have in things being settled amicably?
Rather, things being settled amicably before an election. I'm not calling for a hanging chad thing.
but Doug has stated he needs a paycheck...not getting one from the courthouse...
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