Wednesday, November 05, 2003

By Jeffrey Cohan, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Dan Onorato will face daunting challenges of his own making when he replaces Jim Roddey as Allegheny County's chief executive.

In wooing voters, the Democrat issued a variety of promises, all of them easier to make than to keep.

He will have less than two months to savor his victory over his well-financed incumbent before he takes the oath of office and assumes the burden of expectations.

Whether it's in cutting taxes 10 percent or eliminating eight of the county's 10 row offices, Onorato will face imposing obstacles -- and considerable resistance from his own party.

Most of his campaign promises came straight out of the Republican playbook. He even embraced the GOP's cuts-now, taxes-later approach to the city of Pittsburgh's problems.

But for a Democrat, campaigning like a Republican is one thing. Governing like one is another.

Row officers, union leaders and other elements of the Democratic machine gave Onorato enthusiastic backing, more out of a zeal to get rid of Roddey than an affinity for the challenger's agenda.

In the months ahead, many of those same supporters will likely remind Onorato of all they did to help him win and will tell him what they expect in return.

For instance, many party stalwarts cringe at the thought of eliminating all but two of the row offices. They will pressure Onorato to save the sheriff and possibly the treasurer and clerk of courts, in addition to the sure-to-survive district attorney and controller.

Onorato's proposed 10 percent tax cut, meanwhile, pits him against the labor unions. A cut of such magnitude would deprive the county of $24 million in revenue and mean a loss of scores of union jobs.

Several union contracts will expire during Onorato's first year in office. With a tax cut looming, labor leaders will pressure the new chief executive for job security and pay raises.

Roddey himself promised a 10 percent tax cut in his successful 1999 campaign, then reneged on the pledge after his election, citing red ink in the county budget. Onorato will find the county in better fiscal condition, but will find the unions knocking on his door.

Onorato talked tough throughout the campaign.

He grew fond of telling voters that he will drag his party "kicking and screaming" to row office consolidation. And he warned the unions that they're in for a "rude awakening" if they expect lucrative contracts.

Asked last week by a talk-show host which book he had most recently read, Onorato named Buzz Bissinger's "A Prayer for the City," which describes Ed Rendell's clashes with unions during his first term as mayor of Philadelphia.

The 42-year-old North Sider seems genuinely sensitive to the oft-heard criticism that his party has obstructed government reform in the first four years of Allegheny County home rule. At a forum over the weekend, he went so far as to say that his party "is going to die" if it doesn't follow his lead.

As county chief executive, arguably the third most powerful official in the state, and as the man who defeated Roddey, Onorato will command the attention and respect of his fellow Democrats.

Still, skepticism exists. Both of Pittsburgh's daily newspapers endorsed Roddey. At candidate forums and debates, Onorato was frequently asked if he would or could confront the overspending of Sheriff Pete DeFazio, a fellow Democrat.

Voters and pundits might not question Onorato's desire to turn around his party, but many of them do wonder whether he has the will, the muscle and the stomach.

On the campaign trail, he portrayed himself as a consensus-builder who can work well with Democrats and Republicans alike in County Council and the state Legislature.

But both council and the Legislature could give Onorato stern tests.

While his party retained control of council in yesterday's voting, he will need Republican help to cut the county's tax rate, since that will require a two-thirds vote.

As for Harrisburg, Onorato has talked of uniting the Allegheny County delegation behind a single agenda for rescuing the city of Pittsburgh. If he can bring together such opposites as Reps. Jeff Habay, R-Shaler, and Don Walko, D-North Side, he might merit Nobel Peace Prize consideration.

Nonetheless, he will need a united delegation, or something close to it, to force school districts and municipalities to offer homestead exemptions and senior-citizen discounts to property taxpayers.

He has promised to block the county's next reassessment, set to take effect in 2006, unless those tax breaks are in place.

One major challenge awaiting him is not of his own making.

He will take Roddey's place at the negotiating table across from US Airways, which is threatening to eliminate its Pittsburgh hub.

If US Airways leaves, Onorato's hopes for re-election will be linked to his success, or failure, in finding other airlines to pick up the slack.

But that problem must share space on Onorato's plate with all the promises that await keeping.

Voters will soon learn whether Onorato will change his party -- or succumb to it.

Jeffrey Cohan can be reached at jcohan@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3573.

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