County exec insists the time to unify is now
Fitzgerald says it’s time to ‘move forward’
When President-elect Joe Biden takes his oath of office Wednesday on Capitol Hill — two weeks after a fatal insurrection on the same grounds — Rich Fitzgerald will be there.
Invited to the inauguration by U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, the Allegheny County executive said demonstrating continuity is crucial.
“I think it’s important for the top elected official in Western Pennsylvania to go and show not just the support of the candidate who’s going to become the president, but that our government, with a peaceful transfer of power — that this moves forward,” Mr. Fitzgerald said Friday.
In a nearly 40-minute interview addressing public safety, the coronavirus pandemic and legislation before Allegheny County Council, Mr. Fitzgerald said regional agencies at all levels of government are collaborating to watch for activity among potential insurrectionists.
But he believes Republican support last week for President Donald Trump’s second impeachment signals movement toward unifying, he said. Ten Republicans joined U.S. House Democrats in voting to impeach Mr. Trump for “incitement of insurrection.”
“I think the vast majority of people want us to move forward” after Mr. Biden’s election, said Mr. Fitzgerald, a Democrat serving his
third and final four-year term as county executive.
During the pandemic, he has appeared with Dr. Debra Bogen, the county health director, for weekly COVID-19 updates, which have been streamed online. Mr. Fitzgerald said he has “not been pleased” with the speed and rate of the federal vaccine rollout that began last month.
A state website showed 37,372 people in Allegheny County had received one dose of vaccine as of Friday, while 6,794 had completed the vaccination process with two doses. About 1.2 million people live in the county. (The state’s listed tallies have somewhat lagged actual vaccinations, Dr. Bogen has said.)
“I really believe we need to ramp up production to the maximum level — around the clock, whatever it takes,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
He voiced optimism the Biden administration will put a premium on vaccine production, distribution and related logistics.
Forecasting finances
While tax revenue related to entertainment and hospitality will see a hit from the pandemic, Mr. Fitzgerald said, county revenue from property and sales taxes last year turned out better than expected.
“I’m very optimistic about economic development,” he said, noting new construction has continued amid the pandemic.
Developers continue to be bullish on the region, including in Pittsburgh and around Pittsburgh International Airport, Mr. Fitzgerald said.
Still, he said, pandemic-related pressure on certain revenue streams eventually could make it harder for the county to hold the line on taxes. But “we don’t know that” at this stage, he added.
Police oversight
County Council could take votes early this year on two long-lingering pieces of legislation. One would establish a countywide civilian police review board that would look into allegations of police misconduct. Municipalities in the county could opt in.
The other bill would require employers in the county to provide paid sick time. Employers would have to provide at least an hour of paid sick time for every 35 hours a worker clocks within the county — with caps on the requirement varying by employer size.
Both bills, if approved by council, would head to Mr. Fitzgerald for final consideration and approval. He’s generally supportive of the measures, although he would prefer to see sick-leave policy be handled at the national or state level, he said.
If the county sets its own sick-time rule, Mr. Fitzgerald said, he wants it to be crafted so it won’t “totally adversely affect our business climate vis-a-vis our surrounding counties.” And he doesn’t think it should be solely a reaction to the pandemic, he said.
“At some point, we’re going to get on the other side of COVID,” he went on, advocating an approach that would provide businesses with some longer-term predictability.
Vaccination realization
With Dr. Bogen’s encouragement, Mr. Fitzgerald joined her in September to participate in a trial of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. He learned this month he was injected with the vaccine, not a placebo, he said.
The Moderna vaccine is one of two now being distributed in the U.S. Mr. Fitzgerald continues to wear a face mask; it’s still unclear whether a vaccinated person can transmit the virus, he said.
He feels some relief discovering his vaccination but has felt safe “pretty much throughout this whole process” because he has followed health guidelines, including wearing a mask and keeping socially distant from others, he said.
“I don’t feel much different” since learning he was inoculated, Mr. Fitzgerald said. “But I guess, in some ways, I can feel confident.”