Questions raised over County Council resignation
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Brenda Frazier resigned from Allegheny County Council on Monday to pursue a seat in the state Legislature, but she may be able to regain her council seat if her legislative bid is unsuccessful.
Ms. Frazier, 66, of Stanton Heights, filed election papers this week to run for the 21st Legislative District seat, which covers Pittsburgh's eastern neighborhoods.
Ms. Frazier, who was first elected to County Council in 2001 to fill the two-year unexpired term of the late former County Commissioner Tom Foerster, ended her tenure on council effective Feb. 11.
Dan Styche, a candidate interested in an appointment to fill Ms. Frazier's County Council seat, says that it seems like the Democratic caucus on council has already worked out a deal for Ms. Frazier to return to council should her bid for the state House seat fail in the April 22 primary election.
If she loses, Mr. Styche said, Ms. Frazier's hand-picked successor on County Council would then step down, allowing Ms. Frazier to be reappointed to her old seat.
A Pennsylvania constable, and secretary of the Democratic City Committee, Mr. Styche, 47, said that when he inquired about the opening, County Council President Rich Fitzgerald told him that "if [Brenda Frazier] loses her race, she will be back on County Council."
Mr. Styche said he thinks that's unfair.
Mr. Fitzgerald, D-Squirrel Hill, denied the existence of any such deal that would essentially serve as a place-holder for Ms. Frazier's seat. He said Mr. Styche "might have misconstrued what I told him."
Mr. Fitzgerald blamed the creators of Allegheny County's Home Rule Charter, who established a requirement that County Council members interested in other elected offices must first resign their county seat.
"They created this bad selection process," Mr. Fitzgerald said.
"I would tell [Mr. Styche] to go and talk to Brenda Frazier if he is interested in her seat because we will most likely ask her for a recommendation of the kind of person who should replace her," he said. "Council will take her recommendation very seriously."
At the same time, however, Mr. Fitzgerald did not rule out the possibility that if Ms. Frazier's replacement steps down in a few months, she could be re-appointed to her seat.
"That would be fine with me," Mr. Fitzgerald said. "She is the one who has been overwhelmingly elected by the people in her district a few times."
Ms. Frazier also denied there was any deal in the works. She said she has not yet recommended anyone as her replacement. "[County Council] has not asked me yet, but if they do, I will give them my opinion," she said.
According to the county charter, she said, County Council will have 30 days to pick her replacement. The seat will be advertised before qualified candidates are screened and interviewed by the 10 members of council's Democratic caucus.
But County Councilman Jim Ellenbogen, D-Banksville, said he was disheartened by the notion that some of his colleagues may have hatched a succession plan that could see Ms. Frazier re-appointed to council in a few months.
"I will not be part of any collusion of any sort," Mr. Ellenbogen said. "Why should we appoint anyone who might not even be interested in serving out the full term of the unexpired seat? I think it's wrong. That is not the will of the people."
Former Pittsburgh Councilman Len Bodack Jr. last week won the Allegheny County Democratic Committee's endorsement for the 21st District House seat.
First Published February 14, 2008 12:00 am
