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In Allegheny County, policy wonks tend to favor government consolidation, while elected officials tend to oppose it.

The split was on display last night at a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette town meeting at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where five panelists exchanged ideas about the region's future.

David Miller, associate dean at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, decried the fragmentation of government in Allegheny County, where 130 municipalities and 43 school districts operate independently.

"There is no way we can develop [a] shared vision the way we are now governed," Miller said. "We look like the Keystone Kops, running off in a thousand different directions."

Sala Udin: city/county unification won't happen soon. But common interests should be addressed. The Act 47 team recommendations seem fair.

Court Gould, director of the smart-growth advocacy group Sustainable Pittsburgh, listed a number of the benefits of government consolidation, not the least of which are psychological.

"It would help with our inferiority complex," Gould said.

But the two elected officials on the panel, Pittsburgh City Councilman Sala Udin and McKeesport Mayor James Brewster, showed no enthusiasm for reducing the number of governments.

Udin complained that discussions about a complete merger of the city and county governments only serve to divert attention from the main source of Pittsburgh's financial distress, which he maintains is an outdated and unfair tax structure.

	James Brewster: questioned long term economic benefit of mergers. Said governments need to be more business-like.

"I would argue that a fiscal crisis is the worst time to discuss a merger," the city councilman said.

Brewster put forward a similar argument, opining that underlying problems should be addressed first, such as the low caliber of elected officials at the local level.

"Anybody can be an elected official," said Brewster, a former Mellon Bank vice president. "That's what makes America great, but it also brings opportunities for bad decisions."

If there was a tie-breaking vote on the panel last night, Downtown attorney Marlee Myers cast it in favor of consolidation.

Court Gould: described the tangible and intangible benefits of merger. Said the Act 47 mandate should be extended beyond the city.

"It doesn't really make sense to have 130 municipalities and 43 school districts," said Myers, calling such fragmentation "a historical artifact."

Last night's meeting in Highland Park was attended by about 175 people, including Homestead architect David Lewis, who made an impassioned argument in favor of preserving the status quo.

"Every one of the small towns has its own character," he said. "I think we have to revive our towns [rather than consolidate them]."

Myers, the managing partner of the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, sought to dispel concerns that suburbs would lose their identities in a metropolitan government, pointing out that Pittsburgh neighborhoods have preserved their own personalities.

	Marlee Myers: Pittsburgh is a vibrant city we can't afford with a strong sense of neighborhood community. Click photo for larger image.

"Even though they're all part of the same city, each maintains its own distinct character," she said.

Post-Gazette Executive Editor David Shribman moderated the town meeting, the second in a continuing series that the newspaper is holding on the subject of government consolidation.

In the first meeting, which attracted a similar-sized crowd to the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland, another group of panelists weighing the merits of merging city and county services answered with an emphatic maybe. Opinions ranged from skepticism that suburbs would help Pittsburgh without further incentives to do so, to the idea that regionalism for Pittsburgh should encompass looking at joint planning across state lines with the Cleveland metro area.

David Miller: Complete merger is unlikely, but the region should develop a shared vision and improve governance.

Future meetings are planned for Sept. 30, at a location to be announced, and Nov. 17 in Richland Township.

Jerry Abramson, the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, will be among the guests at the September town meeting. The merged city-county government of Louisville is considered by some to be a model of what Pittsburgh and Allegheny County could attempt.

The town meetings are free and open to the public. Those interested in attending the series are asked to register in advance by calling 412-263-1541.

Complete index to the Metrovisions series.