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Dems have choices in county exec race

Dems have choices in county exec race

Allegheny County Council President Rich Fitzgerald is going after a new job.

Surrounded by his family and supporters from government, labor and business, he announced his candidacy today for county executive.

His campaign for the Democratic nomination would center around "jobs, jobs, jobs," he said. Collaborations among federal, state, county and municipal officials would be key to making that happen.

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He and his wife, Cathy, have eight children, all of whom were present in the courtyard of the county courthouse for his announcement.

"What we want most of all is for our kids to stay here," he said. "I want to see my grandchildren grow up here."

Mr. Fitzgerald, 51, has served on council for 11 years. He was elected first in 1999, after voters approved converting county government from a three-commissioner system to a council-executive arrangement.

Under the county charter, he will have to resign his council seat when he files his nominating petitions. The county charter forbids council members from running for another office.

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Mr. Fitzgerald, who lives in Squirrel Hill, said he would miss his colleagues on council, several of whom were there to support his candidacy.

"Other than my family, my service on council is one of the things I am most proud of," he said.

One potential source of new jobs for the county is the energy industry, he said. With huge deposits of natural gas and expertise in developing nuclear, solar and wind projects, the region could become a world energy capital, he said.

Mr. Fitzgerald favors drilling in the planet's mile-deep Marcellus Shale layer and imposing an extraction tax based on the amount of natural gas recovered.

Revenue from any extraction tax, which would have to be approved by the state Legislature, primarily should benefit local governments, he said. Municipalities would bear most of the environmental protection and infrastructure costs resulting from drilling, he said.

Mr. Fitzgerald is the second Democrat to announce a run for the county executive's post. County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty said last week that he would seek to follow incumbent Dan Onorato, who decided not to seek a third term.

While several Republicans have talked about seeking their party's nomination, none has announced his candidacy.

First Published: January 28, 2011, 5:30 p.m.

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