County councilman DeFazio pinned to the mat by challenger
Two members of Allegheny County Council lost to their Democratic challengers late Tuesday, including council President John DeFazio, a fixture on council since it was formed in 2000.
With 99% of the county precincts reporting results in Tuesday’s primary election, Mr. DeFazio, 78, an at-large member from Shaler and a former professional wrestler, was far behind first-time candidate Bethany Hallam, 29.
And in District 13, incumbent Councilwoman Denise Ranalli Russell, 52, lost a chance for another four-year term to fellow Democrat Oliva “Liv” Bennett, 40.
Neither Ms. Hallam nor Ms. Bennett is slated to be challenged by a Republican in the November election to the 15-member council.
Voter turnout was tagged close to a meager 16% of the county’s
952,750 registered voters.
Mr. DeFazio boasted the endorsements of the Allegheny County Labor Council as well as local stalwarts including Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and U.S. Rep Mike Doyle, DForest Hills. In his four previous re-election bids for the at-large seat, the former United Steelworkers leader had never faced a Democratic primary challenger.
On March 10, Mr. DeFazio won the county Democrats’ endorsement, although Ms. Hallam put up a showing with 642 of the 1,478 votes cast in the contest.
From the start of her campaign, Ms. Hallam, an office administrator from Ross, ran as an outsider promising new ideas. She claimed the backing of the Allegheny County Young Democrats and the Steel City Stonewall Democrats, the county’s LGBTQ political advocacy group, as well as that of state Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Upper Lawrenceville, who upset incumbent Dom Costa in last year’s Democratic primary.
The two candidates were scheduled to debate last Wednesday, but Mr. DeFazio dropped out less than three hours before it was scheduled to start due to “a family issue.”
Denied a chance to see the candidates go head to head, voters were left to make their choices based on the candidates’ records and their promises. Mr. DeFazio stressed how the county had thrived during his two decades on council. The county’s bond rating is the best it has been in 35 years, the county has raised taxes only 1 mill since the new political system was installed, and unemployment has fallen.
Part of Ms. Hallam’s pitch to voters was that her background as a recovering opioid addict who spent time in the Allegheny County Jail after violating probation would help her offer a needed perspective on the council.
“Who is better for this job than me, someone who is in touch with the voters?” Ms. Hallam said.
Among the priorities she said she’d like to focus on are shifting money into addiction recovery and mental health treatment programs so that people hit by the opioid epidemic can get care rather than ending up in jail, like she did.
A former professional wrestler, Mr. DeFazio was known as “Jumpin Johnny” in the 1960s and ‘70s. He appeared in matches on Channel 11’s Saturday broadcast of “Studio Wrestling.” Like his father before him, he worked in the region’s steel mills and at the age of 29, he won the presidency of his local union.
At the age of 36, he became the international staff representative for the United Steelworkers of America and later worked as the director of the United Steelworkers of America in Pennsylvania.
Ms. Bennett’s victory, though perhaps not as momentous as Ms. Hallam’s, also promises to bring new blood to county government. A community activist from Northview Heights, she said she wants to expands the mandate of the council.
“I want to be an advocate and a voice for those who may not know how to use their voice or may not know how to advocate certain situations or issues,” said Ms. Bennett, an administrator at the University of Pittsburgh who will begin a master’s program at the university’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs this fall.
She stands to represent District 13 — which is almost entirely within the city of Pittsburgh, from Morningside through Downtown and south to Beltzhoover, and the whole North Side, plus Bellevue.
Ms. Ranalli Russell, of Brighton Heights, the owner of an Etna barbershop, had held the seat since winning a close Democratic primary over attorney Dan Connolly in 2015.
Ms. Bennett said she particularly would like to see the county follow the city’s lead on gun restrictions and set a $15-an-hour minimum wage for its employees.
“Why I decided to run for County Council is, I’m usually out in the street advocating, and one of the recent ones was the Antwon Rose trial,” she said. “And out of those protests came the realization that there was a need for a civilian police review board, which would be directly under Allegheny County Council to enact.”
Legislation is pending before County Council to create such a board, although only Allegheny County Police would be automatically covered by it. By state law, municipalities would have to opt in. Ms. Bennett said she would like to work with state legislators to change that.
Ms. Bennett also has said she wants the district attorney to do away with cash bail for nonviolent offenders.
“Our society of treating rich and guilty people better than poor and innocent people has to be changed,” she said.
One incumbent did survive an intra-party challenge. In District 6 — which includes Baldwin Township. Balddwin Borough, Brentwood, Castle Shannon, Clairton, Elizabeth Township, Elizabeth Borough, Jefferson Hills, Pleasant Hills, South Park, West Elizabeth and Whitehall — incumbent John Palmiere, 76, of Baldwin Township, defeated fellow Democrat Joseph Rudolph, 68, of South Park.
It was the first time Mr. Palmiere, a Brentwood barbershop owner who was appointed to the seat in 2011, faced a primary or general election challenger.
Uncontested races Tuesday included Republican incumbent Sam DeMarco, of North Fayette, who retained the council’s second at-large seat, and Democrat incumbents Nicholas Futules, of Oakmont (District 7), DeWitt Walton, of the Hill District (District 10), and Paul Klein, of Point Breeze (District 11) .
In District 2, Republican incumbent Cindy Kirk, of McCandless, who was unopposed in the primary, will face Democrat Christine Allen, of Sewickley, in November.
In District 5, Republican incumbent Sue Means, of Bethel Park, will square off against Democrat Thomas Duerr, also of Bethel Park.