There is a contested primary election race for Allegheny County Executive between six candidates.
They are: former Pittsburgh Public Schools board member Theresa Sciulli Colaizzi, Reed Smith LLP trial attorney Dave Fawcett, state representative Sara Innamorato, Pittsburgh city controller Michael Lamb, VendSpin CEO Will Parker, and Allegheny County treasurer John Weinstein.
The current county executive Rich Fitzgerald cannot run for re-election due to rules that limit holders of this office to three terms. The Republican candidate, Joe Rockey, is not facing a challenger in this election.
Five of the candidates’ answers to our voter guide questions for the Primary Election on May 16 are below. Theresa Sciulli Colaizzi did not provide answers to our questionnaire.
Theresa Sciulli Colaizzi
(no candidate website)
Dave Fawcett
(click the photo for candidate’s website)
Sara Innamorato
(click the photo for candidate’s website)
Michael Lamb
(click the photo for candidate’s website)
Will Parker
(click the photo for candidate’s website)
John Weinstein
(click the photo for candidate’s website)
- You can also learn more about these candidates in the WESA 2023 Primary Election Voter Guide and through PublicSource.
- If you want to know where these candidates stand on public transit and a free fares program for low-income households, Pittsburghers for Public Transit has their responses.
- You can also watch this recording of a county executive candidates forum on March 9 that we cosponsored along with our allies, moderated by Chris Potter, the government and accountability editor for 90.5 WESA.
- United Way of SWPA and The Pittsburgh Foundation hosted a Human Services Roundtable for County Executive candidates on April 4. Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank shared context about food insecurity in the region (starting at 11 minutes); candidate responses to the question of how they would address hunger start at 18 minutes.
2023 Voter Guide Questions:
Roughly 1 in 7 Allegheny County residents are food insecure, and large sections of the county, especially many predominantly Black communities, do not have access to healthy affordable food.
1) What county resources and departments would you mobilize as County Executive to address hunger and food apartheid in the county?
Colaizzi:
No response.
Fawcett:
Addressing food insecurity will require efforts among different departments and programs of the state, county and city. For example, the Department of City Planning provides information on food access programs, and the different programs include SNAP, Fresh Access Food Bucks, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and several others. All must coordinate with one another and the County, likely the Department of Health, to be sure all relevant information for accessing programs is shared and understood.
As County Executive, I would advocate for a range of new programs and resources to address the lack of access to healthy affordable food, including ones paid for or supplemented by employers, corporations, banks and non-profits that do business in the County. I would utilize expertise in the Health Department to track food insecurity in the County and to propose appropriate resources to facilitate more access to healthy affordable food. I would also mobilize the Department of Economic Development on all new development initiatives to consider whether access to healthy affordable food is appropriate and necessary and, if so, to make appropriate provisions into the development. The Parks Department likewise could offer opportunities for access to healthy affordable food, including fresh, locally sourced meat, fruits, vegetables and grains. Finally, the Dept. of Health & Human Services would play a part, identifying and documenting the existence of food insecurities and recommending appropriate remedial action.
Innamorato:
I will work with the Health Department, Department of Public Services, Allegheny County Economic Development, the Allegheny County Housing Authority, and other key players to make assess the current food and hunger programs the county is running and look for opportunities to expand them and better coordinate them to increase their impact. One great example of recent innovation is the campaign that Just Harvest, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, and many others won to create a low-income fare pilot program based on SNAP eligibility. This kind of intersectional approach – recognizing that access to transit is critical for access to food – is the approach I will take in partnership with Just Harvest and others.
Lamb:
The county executive is the only position who has the leverage to direct the county’s priorities through the county budget and the allocation of funds. DHS providers, (DHS itself already making up 40% of the total county budget) have already created wonderful programs, working with community groups to identify where food security needs are and solutions to those needs. Groups like the Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-op, the numerous farmers markets around the county, and the food banks that work in tandem with them are examples of how empowered local groups can effectively address local issues.
To my mind, the role of the County Executive is to increase the bandwidth of these groups through increased funding and increasing the number of participants in programs aimed at alleviating food insecurity. I believe we should create an Office of Municipal Partnership to help communities identify and food-deserts and make sure residents are informed about what is available to them. We should expand the models that have already been shown to work to get people consistent access to more nutritious foods. We should augment SNAP benefits by making sure those SNAP benefits go further at farmers markets and co-op. We need to make sure there is a local food alliance in all food-desert communities. We need to encourage urban farming and local growers. We need to make sure DHS providers and community workers are empowered to do their work.
Parker:
As County Executive I would mobilize The Department of Economic development to ensure that we’re also investing in local black farmers and new ways to make fresh and healthy foods consistently accessible. The Department of equity and inclusion to ensure that we’re addressing all of our residents needs while considering ways to turn their suggestions into equitable, sustainable and feasible solutions. The Allegheny County Health Department to uphold quality food and water processing standards.
Weinstein:
I am the very proud father of two young children. They mean the world to me, and I never want to experience a circumstance where we cannot put healthy, quality food on their plates. I know that many – and disproportionately people of color – face such challenges every day.
I’m seeking this job because I not only want to make a better Allegheny County for my kids’ future, I want a better future for every child in this region. They cannot learn on empty stomachs. Parents cannot rest if they are constantly worrying from where the next meal will come. Communities cannot grow and progress without faith that critical resources will be available. That’s why as Executive, I will create a comprehensive blueprint for a hunger-free County for all, especially our children and seniors. Through the Department of Human Services, we will spearhead efforts to address food insecurity and to ensure that our residents have affordable access to healthy and nutritious food.
2) What role do you see, if any, for a county-level Food Justice Fund?
Colaizzi:
No response.
Fawcett:
Implementing a county-level Food Justice Fund would be an effective tool to address food insecurity. Having a set allocation of funds dedicated to food justice and food access would increase and improve availability to the individuals and communities that lack affordable access to healthy food. Once again, I believe this is a resource that our County Executive should ask to be underwritten or partially supplemented by our business, corporate and non-profit health care providers, which are organizations that benefit from doing business in the County and would be willing I believe, to take up the important cause of Food Justice.
Innamorato:
We need a Food Justice Fund for Allegheny County and I will work with you to create it. We have so many resources spread across many agencies and departments, we just lack the vision and coordination to build something comprehensive. We also need new resources, which we will identify together and put in place. Food is a human right and everyone in Allegheny County should have access to the healthy food they need. I have worked on this issue as a State Representative and I will be your partner in the County Executive’s office.
Lamb:
I see a great opportunity. We know there are funds available at the county level. The Office of Municipal Partnership could take those funds and work in concert with food justice activists and organizations to identify greatest need and invest in programs in those communities, build fresh food infrastructure, and give benefits directly to people through programs like SNAP, WIC, FMNP, and free and reduced price school meals.
Parker:
As someone who has over a decade of experience in food delivery industry, I believe that a Food Justice Fund is extremely important. More government advocacy around food justice in Allegheny County should be mandatory not optional. The role of a county-level food justice fund would be to strategically and equally allocate funding for pilots and other initiatives aimed at feeding our communities and gathering feedback from them to improve our overall health and well being.
Weinstein:
I was greatly heartened to learn of a Food Justice Fund’s inclusion in the City’s budget this year. The pandemic highlighted perhaps more starkly than ever the deep vulnerabilities that exist in our food supply chains and how they lead to direct and dramatic effects on communities and their futures. It’s a reality that is far too often overlooked, and one I’m grateful Just Harvest and its partners are shedding light on.
While City residents are more likely to lack access to accessible, nutritious foods, the problem also extends throughout our County, our region, and even our country. I look forward to engaging with stakeholders and community members to see how we can broaden such programs to the County level. I will create effective partnerships between the business, labor and non-profit communities utilizing the County as the conduit to facilitate this meaningful goal.
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