Council OKs Innamorato’s picks for jail board, solicitor
After weeks of deliberation, Allegheny County Council confirmed county Executive Sara Innamorato’s three picks for the county’s jail oversight board and her selection for county solicitor on Tuesday.
The council had been reviewing the picks for multiple weeks, as its appointment review committee approved them last week. The three picks for jail board are Barbara Griffin, an attorney helping serve low-income residents; Muhammad Ali Nasir (also known as MAN-E), a community activist and organizer who has spent time in the jail; and Rob Perkins, an attorney interested in criminal justice reform.
Multiple public speakers supported all three picks, saying they would bring great perspective to the board and help contribute to much- needed reforms at the county jail. They specifically said Mr. Nasir’s time in the jail and empathy toward and work with those incarcerated is important for someone on the board.
Rosalyn Guy- McCorkle has served in the county’s law department for more than three decades.
She has been acting solicitor since George Janocsko retired in late 2023, and council approved her as solicitor.
Mr. Janocsko endorsed Ms. GuyMcCorkle for the position before the council voted on all the appointments. He said her experience and willingness to work with others meant she was highly qualified for the position.
The jail board picks and solicitor votes were 14-0. Council member DeWitt Walton was absent.
Council also introduced a resolution from members Dan Grzybek, Anita Prizio and Bethany Hallam, aiming to encourage municipalities to adopt zoning practices that are less exclusionary and promote affordable housing. Municipalities have jurisdiction under zoning law within their boundaries. Some of the recommendations include:
• Legalizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and single-room occupancies (SROs)
• Eliminating parking mandates for all zoning uses
• Allowing building of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes by right
• Legalizing multifamily housing in commercial zones
The resolution was referred to the council’s committee on housing and homelessness for further review.
Council members also introduced a resolution, on behalf of Ms. Innamorato, that creates a program for exemptions for county property taxes for “improvements, including repairs, construction, or reconstruction, made on industrial, commercial or business property in a deteriorated area” in Pittsburgh. The program would align with the state’s Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act, created in 1977, which allows local taxing authorities to enact tax exemptions.
That resolution was referred to the council’s committee on economic development and job creation.