Onorato Takes Oath of Office

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato began his second term with a long look at the past and a quick glance to the future. With his wife by his side Dan Onorato became the first person to take the County Executive oath of office for a second time. He touted his work over the last 4 years in consolidating row offices from ten to four, merging five 911 centers into one, eliminating duplications in city and county functions and creating shovel ready land for economic development. Onorato also spoke about his efforts to improve the parks in the county through the creation of a "County Parks Action Plan" and a County Parks Foundation. He says in his second term he will continue to focus on improving the parks and will hold town meeting near each of the county's nine parks to get input on the best way to use the land. He says he will be sensitive to the environment in a different way by creating the “Allegheny Green Action team” which will advise him on how to make the government more environmentally friendly and encourage green sector businesses to locate and expand in the county. Onorato says to get anything done in the coming years he will have to work cooperatively with all 130 municipalities, the 14 counties in the region and lawmakers in Harrisburg. After the inauguration Onorato would not speculate on his chance of running for the Governor's office in two years but said his focus on the last 4 years was not an indication that he was not planing to stick around long. He says he thinks he has done well in the last 4 years and he wants to stay on the same path in the next 4 years.