Even as county excecutive Dan Onorato is holding a press conference to discuss his future plans, county controller Mark Patrick Flaherty is announcing his plans to seek Onorato's job. Moments ago, Flaherty released the following statement:

"Dan Onorato has served the people of Allegheny County with distinction over the past 30 years. First, as a member of Pittsburgh City Council, then as Allegheny County Controller and finally as Allegheny County’s Chief Executive, Dan has been a dedicated public servant. He now prepares to move to the next stage of his career and whether it be in the public or private sector, I wish Dan and his family well."

Flaherty's statement added that he plans to run for county exec himself, and will "formally announce" his candidacy on the morning of Wednesday, January 19. (This statement, then, would be the formal announcement of his plans to formally announce his campaign.)

Not insignificantly, Flaherty also boasted of having $450,000 on hand to finance his campaign. He's already spent $300,000, the statement spends -- much of which no doubt went to those highly useful ads about the importance of weights and measures.