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Cranmer picks Christopher for RAD board
Thursday, June 04, 1998 By Jon Schmitz, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Allegheny County Commissioner Bob Cranmer said yesterday that he would nominate David W. Christopher of Mt. Lebanon, a retired accounting executive and former Republican Party official, to serve on the Regional Asset District board.
Christopher, 68, would be required to resign his seat on the Mt. Lebanon school board to accept the RAD position.
Christopher would fill the vacancy left by the forced resignation of Fred Baker. Cranmer asked Baker to step aside because Baker was opposed to Plan B, a proposal to use asset district revenue to help fund new football and baseball stadiums.
Cranmer said Christopher shared his view that asset district revenue should be used for the projects, but that the teams, and particularly the Steelers, should increase their financial commitments toward the stadiums.
The seven-member asset district board oversees revenue from a 1 percent county sales tax. The votes of six members are needed to authorize any expenditure.
As it stands now, the board probably will vote next month on a request by city and county officials for $13.4 million per year for the next 30 years to help underwrite the stadiums and expansion of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Christopher was county Republican chairman in the 1980s, ran unsuccessfully against county Controller Frank J. Lucchino in 1991, served on the Mt. Lebanon school board from 1973 to 1979 and regained a seat on the school board last year.
The state law that governs the asset district prohibits board members from being public officials, party officers or government employees.
Cranmer's spokeswoman, Sandy Hamm, said Christopher had agreed to give up the school post for the asset board position, which is unsalaried.
Christopher declined to comment when telephoned by a reporter yesterday.
He has worked as a partner in the Price Waterhouse accounting firm and was chief financial officer of the law firm of Reed Smith Shaw & McClay. Although retired, he continues to do consulting work for a number of companies, Cranmer said.
"His professional credentials are impeccable. He is seen as one of the upstanding members of the community," Cranmer said.
Cranmer said he would submit Christopher's name for a vote by the county commissioners next week.
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