Wecht Wants to Work For County Again

Former Allegheny County Coroner and Medical Examiner Cyril Wecht says he wants his old job back.

The 80-year-old physician resigned as Medical Examiner in January 2006 after he was indicted on federal corruption charges involving misuse of his staff and county assets. Wecht's 2008 trial ended with a deadlocked jury, and prosecutors dropped the charges months later.

Wecht gained fame by inquiring into the deaths of well-known figures including Elvis Presley, JonBenet Ramsey and Vincent Foster.

Dr. Karl Williams currently holds the Medical Examiner position but his five-year term expired in December. That means he is technically “acting” Examiner. County Executive Dan Onorato says there is no question that Wecht is qualified for the job and he understands Wecht’s arguments for why he should be reappointed. “He and his family have been through over the last couple of years… that is now behind him,” says Onorato.

However, the County Executive says he is not ready to make an appointment today. “There are a lot of other things that are in play right now,” says Onorato. Among the things mentioned by Onorato is the ongoing County Executive’s race. Onorato would not go so far as to say he will put off the decision long enough to allow the next County Executive to make the choice.

County Announces Bids Start on Commissary

A new commissary is planned to be built on Allegheny County owned property across from the McGarity Reserve Center in Moon Township. Commissaries are military supermarkets where current and past service members can find goods at a cheaper cost because their salaries tend to be less than private sector ones. The Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County (RAAC) announced that staff will solicit bids for construction. The commissary is expected to be about 43,000 square-feet and cost up to $17 million.

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato says this bodes well for the future of a military presenece in Southwest Pennsylvania. "Well the fact that we are one of the few on the BRAC report (The Defense BASE Closure and Realignment Commission)to get put back on shows the significance of the strategic importance of Southwest Pennsylvania, plus the men and women that serve in the military here."

Congressman Tim Murphy (R-18 PA) says that a new commissary is needed because the old one is an antique. "It is 50 something years old, it has many signs of wear and tear and it needs to be replaced in a more convenient location. In part because that base is going to close in the next couple of years and when it closes down we lose that base. A couple of years ago, I asked the Pentagon to please keep that commissary open at least until we build a new one, and they agreed to."

Murphy says that while the county is now announcing that it will take bids, they still have to get approval from the Senate Armed Services Committee. He says that once it passes, the county can legally start bids 30 days after.

The U.S. Army Office of Personnel and Readiness agreed to keep operating the current commissary in Oakdale until the new one can take on its duties. Currently, about 165,000 people rely on the commissary.

More Talks, No Deal

Negotiations have resumed between officials of the transit workers union, the Port Authority and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato in an attempt to eliminate a $30 million deficit and restore the 15% service cuts that took effect March 27. Patrick McMahon, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85, says they offered $18.6 million in wage concessions a week ago. But Onorato rejected the offer saying it did not address legacy costs for healthcare and pensions. Onorato says PAT and the county both spend $69 million a year on healthcare and the county has more than twice as many active employees as the transit agency. SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, is three and a half time the size of PAT but it spends $8 million on post-retirement healthcare while PAT spends $32 million. McMahon issued a statement following Friday's talks saying he shares Onorato’s concern about finding long-term transit funding solutions to our transit funding problems, especially mitigating the impact of retiree health care costs. McMahon says they found significant areas of agreement but have very different opinions on what's in the best interest of the transit, riders and workers. "We favor an approach that allows us to work on resolving the short-term crisis created by the March 27th cuts with short term solutions while simultaneously and vigorously working toward longer term resolutions that address legacy costs."

Onorato Stands on PAT Budget Plan

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato says he is still offering up two plans to save the Port Authority of Allegheny County but the union does not seem to be interested in accepting either of them. The Port Authority implemented 15% service cuts and laid off 180 workers Sunday in an effort to balance its budget through the end of June, 2012. Onorato says a little more than a week ago he began crunching the numbers. “I had my finance department, CPA’s and accountants at the county, not the Port Authority, not the union, verify every number before I put my two options together because I did not want to be pulled in either direction or biased by either side,” says Onorato. He says his options trim $20 million from the budget annually and will deal with the cost of providing retirees with healthcare.

Both plans call for the union to forego a 3% wage increase set for January of 2012, change overtime and job bidding rules, and increase employee payments into the retirement fund. Plan One then calls for employees to increase their healthcare costs to cover 20-percent of the premiums. Plan Two, calls for all future retirees to get a maximum of three years of full health insurance benefits. Currently those benefits are available to them for life. “These are real options that deal with the legacy costs of the Port Authority,” says Onorato.

Onorato says the offers put on the table by the union last week fell short of the $20 million mark and did not deal with legacy costs. “It has to be real, it has to deal with legacy costs, it cant be a promise,” says Onorato.

There are currently 2,700 union members on the PAT payroll and 3,200 retired union members receiving pension payments and health care benefits. Onorato says that number needs to be reversed. He points to the health insurance costs associated with county and the retirees of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia. He says PAT and the county both spend $69 million a year on healthcare and the county has more than twice as many active employees. SEPTA is three and a half time the size of PAT but is spends $8 million on post retirement healthcare while PAT spends $32 million.

Onorato says he is not suggesting that PAT enter into bankruptcy and change the benefits for current retirees because, “that is not the right way to handle this.” But he says that is where PAT is headed. As he holds up his thumb and for finger before his eyes he says, “They are this far from going over the cliff.”

Onorato says he will continue to look for ways to find more state funding but he says knowing the climate in Harrisburg he does not think there is much hope of doing that.

When asked why it was not the Port Authority Executive Director or Board President making the offer Onorato responded that they have already offered their plan, the 15% cut, and now he is offering his plan.

PAT Riders Deal With Cuts

It's the first work day that commuters are having to deal with 15% service cuts by the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Effective Sunday PAT eliminated 29 routes and reduced operations on 37 others. Last minute efforts to eliminate the cuts or postpone them for a week while negotiations continued on union concessions failed.
Pat McMahon, president of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union, said the service cuts would likely cause confusion and inconvenience for transit riders.

"The Port Authority workers who are members of ATU Local 85 are reliable, responsible and professional transit employees committed to going above and beyond what is required of them to help the transit riders we serve during this challenging transition resulting from the unnecessary cuts ordered by the Port Authority Board of Directors and Chief Executive Onorato."


County Council President Jim Burn has called a special meeting of Council on Wednesday, March 30 at 5:00 P.M. in the County Courthouse. Burn says PAT CEO Steve Bland and ATU Local 85 President Pat McMahon will be invited to the meeting and it's imperative discussions between management and the union continue in hopes of restoring the eliminated routes.

“At this time I cannot provide any assurance that routes will be restored as a result of this meeting, however, it is apparent that the union and management are at a point where meaningful negotiations can occur. County Council will continue to do our best to help facilitate a resolution to this issue.”

McMahon warned county and PAT officials that the protests will increase...

"If Executives Onorato and Bland and the Port Authority Board of Directors thought the Stop the Cuts campaign has been heated and intense, wait until they get a taste of our Restore the Cuts campaign which begins now."

Information about the transit cuts can be found at the Port Authority's blog

Onorato Wants FAA to Send Flight to PGH

As Airports in Philadelphia and New York ask the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to expand, officials at airports in places like Pittsburgh and Cleveland are staring at under utilized facilities and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato wants something done about that. Onorato says he has been lobbying the FAA for nearly two years now to change the way it allocates landing slots. Onorato made his comments while addressing a meeting of the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce in Coraopolis this morning.

Passengers originating or ending trips in Pittsburgh has grown in recent years but the total number of flights in and out of Pittsburgh has tumbled since USAirways pulled its hub from Pittsburgh International. Onorato says he, and members of the state’s congressional delegation, have asked the FAA to stop allowing expansions at airports along the congested East Coast and instead force those flights inland. “The FAA should, maybe not re-regulate, but intervene with the [slots] of how many planes can go into these airports. Before we spend billions of your money to expand these airports where there is no room, I would argue that for public safety reasons and national security reasons why not use facilities already built,” says Onorato.

Onorato says Pittsburgh is only 45 minutes from the East Coast where the FAA has just announced final approval for a $5 billion expansion at Philadelphia airport. A proposal to expand airports in New York has been floated as well. At the same time, the FAA says it is looking at ways to increase the number of planes that can be in the airspace around New York at any given time. “We’re saying, without spending a penny, use [Pittsburgh International],” says Onorato. He says, “it is a better move for the taxpayers. We’re not saying come to Pittsburgh and build something, we’re saying, use what you already built here.” Pittsburgh International was built to support USAirways’ hub.
Onorato is not the only person talking to the FAA about the plan to send more traffic away from the East Coast. Airports are lining up on both sides of the argument. Detractors say the airlines are struggling to pay their bills now and do not need the additional regulations.

Onorato: Airport Shale Drilling a Possibility

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato says he will spend the next 12 months cleaning up and finishing out some of the things he wanted to get accomplished as county executive. Among those things is exploring the possibility of drilling for gas in the shale layer below the airport. “This would be private money coming in and it’s a real value… I think it would be irresponsible as County Executive or County Council, for us not to explore what that is,” says Onorato, “We can always say ‘no’ to it if the proposal is wrong or if it does not make sense for us we don’t have to accept it.”

Onorato says he would want to make sure the request for proposal is written well, “set some rules and guidelines in the RFP that we want to make sure it’s environmentally safe, that we do it in a way that makes sense for the residents that live close to the airport.” Onorato says simply dismissing it out of hand is irresponsible. Any drilling contract would have to be approved by the
Federal Aviation Administration. The county owns about 9,000 acres at the airport.

Onorato says his other top priority will be to continue to fight for a more fair property assessment system in the state. He says it is unfair that Allegheny County should have to go through” yet another reassessment” while other counties in the state have not reassessed properties for decades. “I came in fighting reassessments and it looks like I’m going out fighting reassessments,” says Onorato. He says there is something “inherently wrong” with Allegheny County having to do things other counties do not. Onorato plans to travel to Harrisburg in February to talk to lawmakers about several issues including efforts to get a statewide assessment system put in place. Onorato says Pennsylvania and Delaware are the only two states in the nation that do not have statewide assessment standards.

Flaherty to Run for County Exec, Fitzgerald Considers a Bid

One soon-to-declare and one possible candidate are praising Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato who announced today he will not seek a third term in that office.
County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty, who was expected to run for the county's top post whether or not Onorato sought reelection, issued a statement saying that Onorato has served the people of the county with distinction as a member of Pittsburgh Council, then as County Controller and now as Chief Executive.....
"Dan has been a dedicated public servant. He now prepares to move to the next stage of his career and whether it be in the public or private sector, I wish Dan and his family well."

In the next sentence of the statement to the media, Flaherty said he will formally announce he will run for County Executive at an event in the County Courthouse Courtyard January 19th.

In an interview with DUQ News, County Council President Rich Fitzgerald also praised Onorato..."He's done a great job moving this county, this region forward over the last 8 years." Fitzgerald called it "kind of a sad day because it's going to be a loss for this region not having him at the helm."
Fitzgerald says he's talked with Onorato a few times over the last several weeks and he's not surprised but still called it a difficult decision.......
"Because he has done a lot of good things and I'm sure there's a lot more he would like to do...there are always challenges ahead with the reassessments and with Marcellus Shale and some big issues we need to move forward on."
When asked about his interest in the county executive post, Fitzgerald said today "is not the day to say who's running for what, there will be time for that." But neither would Fitzgerald rule out a run for county executive.
He said he would not run if Onorato had decided to seek a third term.

Executive Onorato Will Not Run

Saying two terms in the post of Allegheny County Executive is long enough, County Executive Dan Onorato announced he would not run again this year. Onorato is coming off a failed campaign for Pennsylvania Governor where he lost Allegheny County to Republican Tom Corbett. He says that is not why he is not running for a third term, “I’m confident that if I wanted to run for a third term I believe I would win, I would win handily.”

I’m moving on because I will have served two full terms, we accomplished a lot, and now I’m going to close out my second term,” Says Onorato.

“I still think there are opportunities for me in the future to do different things and I’m excited about those new challenges,” says Onorato. The Executive says he does have some interest in running for Auditor General, an office which comes up for election in 2012, however, he says he is just as likely to run for state attorney general or move back into private practice. He says he will not make a decision on any of those options any time soon.

Transit Workers Oppose "Stringing Out" Flex Funds

The leader of the local transit workers union says the Port Authority of Allegheny County should spend the emergency state funding it received this December over a 12-month period, rather than over 18 months.

President Pat McMahon of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 wrote to County Executive Dan Onorato saying the funding should be used as Governor Ed Rendell intended. McMahon says that means the $45 million in “flex” funding would cover only the Port Authority’s 2011 budget deficit in order to prevent service cuts.

McMahon says spending the money in 2011 would also keep pressure on the state legislature to come up with a permanent funding solution for both PAT and SEPTA, Philadelphia’s ailing bus service.

The union president says under Onorato’s plan to spend the money over 18 months, the Port Authority will make cuts.

“Their plan is to have a 15% service-hour cut, effective date in March, the 27^th actually,” says McMahon. “There would definitely be some layoffs. They don’t know the numbers yet. And their plan absolutely includes closing the Harmar division.”

McMahon says these transit cuts would kill jobs for people who depend on bus and rail services, particularly low-wage workers. McMahon says he hasn’t heard back from Onorato yet.

Onorato Campaign Finances Detailed

Democrat Dan Onorato spent less than half of what Republican Tom Corbett did on television ads, during the gubernatorial campaign’s final two weeks.
Onorato's campaign spent 2.3 million dollars on television ads in late October, compared to the 5.6 million dollars Corbett shelled out.
Pages of Onorato’s campaign finance report are filled with contributions to county and local-level Democratic groups, made during the last few days of the campaign.
He gave 50-thousand dollars to the Philadelphia Democratic Party, spent 60-thousand dollars on Philadelphia canvassing, and donated a bit under 40-thousand dollars to two other Philadelphia Democratic organizations.
Onorato also gave money to the campaigns of State Senator Anthony Williams, and other Philadelphia-area Democrats, on his way to a 83-17 percent win in the city.
In what some political observers view as a vote of no confidence in the ticket’s chances, Onorato’s running mate, Scott Conklin of Centre County, shifted 10-thousand dollars from his lieutenant governor campaign to his state House re-election effort in the week before the race.

Lopsided Campaign Funding Reports

A closer look at the candidates' final finance reports indicates Republican Tom Corbett outspent Democrat Dan Onorato by a nearly three to one margin in the final weeks of this year’s gubernatorial campaign.
Corbett’s expense sheet had the look of a front-runner in the race’s final days. On his way to a nine-point victory, the Republican spent 5.6 million dollars on television ads, 31-thousand dollars on air travel, and nearly 640-thousand dollars on phone calls to voters.
Corbett had a bit more than 10 million dollars at his disposal, compared to the 3.9 million dollars Onorato’s campaign had in the bank.
The Republican raised 4.8 million dollars between October 19th and the election, and spent 9.6 million.
Onorato raised just 1.9 million dollars, and spent 3.7 million.
The Department of State hasn’t yet released the line-by-line details of Onorato’s contributions and expenses – just the total numbers.
The Republican Governor’s Association was Corbett’s biggest donor during the final weeks, giving two million dollars. Philadelphia-based Comcast gave 30-thousand dollars, and Microsoft donated 10-thousand.

Onorato Falls Short

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato took defeat well last night. He thanked his supporters, congratulated the next governor and then told the crowd to have some fun at his election night party. When they tried to boo Tom Corbett’s name he stopped them and said, “that is why we have elections.” He says it was important to set the right tone, “I wanted to give a concession speech to show that nobody in this room has a reason to hang their head low. We fought a two year battle, we had some good ideas and we came up just a bit short.” Onorato says Republican effort to tie him to PA Governor Ed Rendell was not the reason why he lost. “I’ve never believed that any other elected official can get you elected or hurt you,” says Onorato, “people vote on the candidates… and this is the way it played out this time, I have no regrets at all.” However, Onorato says he wishes he could have done better in Allegheny County where he lost to Corbett by 649 votes. He says he thinks it was hard to overcome the number of ads run by the Corbett campaign in Allegheny County near the end of the race.

Onorato says he will now turn his full attention to running the county. He says he will use the next year to grow jobs and streamline government. He would not speculate on a bid for a third term in office.

The Democrat says it was the “opportunity of a lifetime” to run for governor. He says he saw the state in a way he would have never been able to had he not run. “I met great people, I got to see how beautiful the state is, I got to see how diverse the state is and I got to see what made the state so great,” says Onorato. He says he is ready to work with Tom Corbett to help make the state even better.

Onorato, Corbett Cast Votes.....Wait

With the polls open and voters voting, the candidates for governor don’t have much to do, except wait for 8:00 p.m. when results start coming in.
Republican Tom Corbett (bottom photo) and his wife, Susan, voted at eight o’clock in the Pittsburgh suburb of Shaler.
The Attorney General says the rest of his day will be pretty low-key.

"We’re going to have a couple campaign stops. We’ve got five or six polls we’re going to do, and then we go - go home.

Democrat Dan Onorato (top photo) voted at ten o’clock in Pittsburgh's Brighton Heights neighborhood.
He’s also visiting polling spots throughout the day.
Polls have shown Corbett with a widening lead, but Onorato says he’s confident Democrats will buck the polls and win big tonight.


"Right now, from what we’re hearing, turnout is pretty good across the state. It’s great weather. People are engaged. You’ve got a Senate race, you have a governor’s race. You have, I think, at least eight competitive Congressional races. There’s a lot of activity on the ground right now, everywhere in Pennsylvania. And I think that’s good for us."


Both candidates will be in Pittsburgh tonight at the same spots they celebrated their May primary victories.
Corbett is rallying with supporters at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, and Onorato will be the IBEW union hall on Pittsburgh's South Side.

Poll Shows Gov. Sen. Races Leaning GOP.

The latest numbers from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute show at least 5 point leads for the Republican candidates in both the US Senate and Gubernatorial race. The poll with a margin of error of 2.8 percent shows former Republican Congressman Pat Toomey holding a 50 - 45 percent lead among likely voters over Democratic US Rep. Joe Sestak in the race to be Pennsylvania's next US senator. In the Governor’s race, Republican Tom Corbett, the Attorney General, has a 52 - 42 percent lead over Democrat Dan Onorato. Onorato is the Allegheny County Executive.

Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Assistant Director Peter A. Brown says, "The candidates each hold their party bases pretty well, each getting more than 80 percent of the votes of their own party members." The difference comes among voters who identify themselves as independent. The poll finds Toomey leads Sestak among independents 52 - 39 percent and Corbett leads 53 - 34 percent among independent voters.
Digging a bit further into the numbers shows 6 percent of likely voters in the governor’s race are undecided and 14 percent of voters who name a candidate say they might change their mind. 17 percent of Onorato supporters say they may change their mind while 11 percent of Corbett backers could jump ship. Likely voters give Onorato a 40 - 36 percent favorability rating compared to Corbett's 51 - 25 percent rating. "It is difficult to see how Dan Onorato becomes Pennsylvania's next governor," says Brown.
The numbers are based on 1,244 surveys from October 25 – 30.

Onorato's Last Days on the Trail

With just days left before the gubernatorial election, Democrat Dan Onorato keeps plugging away. WDUQ's Scott Detrow reports the Allegheny County Executive is confident he’ll overcome Republican Tom Corbett’s lead in the race’s final days.

Listen to Scott Detrow's story here.

Find yesterday's story looking at Republican Tom Corbett's campaign here.

Corbett's Last Days on the Trail

The Pennsylvania Gubernatorial election is just days away and Republican Tom Corbett has led Democrat Dan Onorato in the polls throughout the entire election. DUQ’s Scott Detrow went on the road with the Attorney General and found he is using the last few days to urge supporters not to become complacent as what has been a low-key gubernatorial campaign winds to an end.

Listen to Scott's story here.

A look at Democrat Dan Onorato's campaign can be heard tomorrow during Morning Edition on 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh

Rendell Lease Ban May Stay, May Go

One Candidate of Pennsylvania Governor says he will keep a ban on selling state forest land to gas drilling companies and the other says he will have to review it. The Rendell Administration has leased out more than 130 thousand acres of state forest land over the past two years and now that he is about to leave office Rendell has signed an executive order to not sell any more. Only about 20 wells are active in the forests right now, but Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley says thousands could be operating in the next few years. The order does nothing to prevent those wells from being drilled, it only prevents more land from being leased. Quigley says the forests have reached a breaking point. “In a perfect world we would not have done the last lease sale, but the facts are that we did,” says Quigley, “We did it with the absolute minimum impact, and did it in a way that we think preserves the sustainability of the forest. But clearly we have reached the point where we can’t go any further.” When Rendell leaves office in January the ban will remain in place but the next governor could decide to overturn it. Democrat Dan Onorato says he will keep Rendell’s order in effect, and urge the development of more private land. He also supports a tax on gas pulled from the Marcellus Shale formation. Republican Tom Corbett would overturn the moratorium. Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley says, “It’s something that is generating revenue for the state, and could generate more. When Tom Corbett’s elected governor, he’ll sit down with his new secretary of DCNR and DEP, and examine what could produce revenue for the state. The leases generate money for the state, and Corbett would look for additional ways to gain revenue from state forests.” Corbett does not support the idea of a tax on shale gas.

Onorato Speaks in Hill District

Allegheny County Executive and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato spoke to an audience of about thirty local African-American leaders in the Hill District on Monday.

He spoke about the differences between him and his opponent Tom Corbett.

Corbett does not support a severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Onorato does and says the money from the tax should go towards replacing jobs that were shed from The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, to counties for the wear and tear on roads and water systems from the drilling and to protect farmland and open space and to clean up brownfields.

"We're going to have real environmental issues," he said. He called The Marcellus Shale "a golden opportunity" and cited a Penn State report that said the drilling industry would create 80,000 jobs.

He also made promises to increase accessibility to early childhood education and spoke against the Castle Doctrine expansion.

Final Campaign Finance Report Released

In the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, Republican Tom Corbett outraised and outspent Democratic opponent Dan Onorato over the past month. Corbett raised $6.2 million and spent $8.6 million, while Onorato took in $3.5 million, and spent $4.6. The Republican spent about $7 million on television ads, compared to Onorato's $4 million in TV purchases. Once again, Onorato's biggest contributors were unions - the AFL-CIO gave $160,000 to his campaign. The Democrat also received $50,000 from Governor Rendell's campaign fund, as well as several individual contributions from members of the Rendell administration and Onorato $20,000 from House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dwight Evans. On the other side, the billionaire chair of Chief Oil and Gas gave $50,000 to Corbett, and the vice president of Range Resources donated $10,000. Both of those companies drill in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale natural gas formation. Among the well-known names giving money to the Onorato campaign was Al Boscov, the chairman of Boscov's department stores who gave $25,000. John Hess of the Hess Corporation donated the same amount to Corbett. The Republican Governors Association's $2.5 million contribution to Corbett's campaign dwarfed the $400,000 its Democratic counterpart gave to Onorato. The Democrat's campaign has about $2 million left in the bank, while Corbett has more than $5 million to spend.

The most interesting donor in either report? Elmer Fudd, who gave $100 to the Corbett campaign.