Original county council member, former wrestler
Charles “Chuck” Martoni, one of the original members of Allegheny County Council, a longtime Swissvale official and a former professional wrestler, died Sunday.
Mr. Martoni, 82, died at Woodhaven Care Center in Monroeville after a long illness, according to Charles Nied of the Thomas L. Nied Funeral Home in Swissvale. His wife, Marianne, was also at Woodhaven.
His 19 years on county council represented just a fraction of his public service. That said, his presence in the early years of the county’s current form of government and his no-nonsense approach throughout his tenure there, allowed him to leave a mark on the whole region, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Monday.
“Chuck was not one of those people who was a grandstander in any way,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
“Chuck was just one of those guys who wanted to do things for the right reasons, for good government,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. When asked for political advice, Mr. Martoni would say: “’Do what is good government, and that will serve you well politically. … It was about what’s the best thing for good government and the constituents, and the politics will take care of themselves.’ “
“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved colleague, Dr. Charles Martoni,” council members said in a statement Monday.
“I think I can say on behalf of all members of council who have ever served with him that he was one of the most genuine and sincere men you will ever know,” council President John DeFazio added in council’s statement.
A Democrat who won in the inaugural council race in 1999 and began serving in 2000, Mr. Martoni was president of that body from 2012 through 2013. He remained on council through his fight with cancer.
Council had an important role in setting the tone when the county changed from a commissioner system to an executive and 15member legislative body, and Mr. Fitzgerald said that Mr. Martoni was a consensus builder who won respect from Democrats and Republicans.
“Row office reform, for example, a lot of the work we did around assessments,” Mr. Fitzgerald said when asked for issues on which Mr. Martoni was a key voice and vote. “Pittsburgh’s revitalization, Chuck was a big part of every one of those development deals in the city. … He voted to get the Human Relations Commission, helped push that through. Helped push through a smoking ban.”
Mr. Martoni also served on the Port Authority board and made some tough votes for the North Shore Connector, Mr. Fitzgerald said.
County Controller Chelsa Wagner, in a statement, called Mr. Martoni “a steady hand through Allegheny County’s transition to a new form of government, and a constant champion for our young people through his work on council, and especially through his decades of commitment to the Community College of Allegheny County.”
Mr. Martoni was president of the Boyce campus of Community College of Allegheny County. A graduate of the community college, he also earned degrees at Duquesne University and California University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.
“Chuck also believed that higher education was a pathway to success and that education should be available to everyone in the community,” according to Mr. Fitzgerald.
His history of service also includes time as a Swissvale councilman and mayor and a Woodland Hills school board member.
“In a lot of those eastern and Mon Valley and Turtle Creek Valley communities, he was just someone who everybody had a lot of respect for,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
Mr. Martoni boasted a special link with Mr. DeFazio: The two are among the region’s professional wrestlers who entered politics. Mr. Martoni performed as “Masked Marvel,” and Mr. DeFazio as “Jumpin’ Johnny.”
“Over the last few months, Chuck battled health issues with the same strength and perseverance as he did in his earlier career as a great athlete in the wrestling ring,” Mr. Fitzgerald noted.
Mr. Fitzgerald said the county will lower the flag to half staff in Mr. Martoni’s honor, and Gov. Tom Wolf said the commonwealth flags at state facilities in Allegheny County will be lowered Friday.
Visitation will be from 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Thursday at Nied Funeral Home. Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Madonna del Castello Word of God Parish in Swissvale. Interment will be in Braddock Catholic Cemetery in Braddock Hills.
Mr. Martoni’s term runs through 2021. County council has 30 days to choose an interim member of the same party as Mr. Martoni to serve until “the next available municipal election.”