NEWS: Fitz files
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has filed suit against Allegheny County Council for passing a new minimum wage policy he claims is unconstitutional.
Fitzgerald opposed the council’s minimum wage bill from the outset, and attempted to knock it down with a veto after it passed last month. But council members overrode this executive maneuvering by holding down their two-third’s majority.
In the suit, filed June 28, Fitzgerald claims the council lacks the right to set terms for employee compensation, and asks the court to clarify that in a legal judgment.
Council President Pat Catena referred to Fitzgerald's move as "Trump-like," and accused the executive of throwing "temper tantrums."
"Now, after consistently losing at every turn with this bill, he's willing to throw County employees under the bus in a last ditch effort to assert his rapidly waning authority," Catena said in a heated statement.
If it stands, the bill will guarantee all county employees earn a minimum of $20 per hour by January 2026, with incremental raises taking place each year until then.
NEWS: Zappala returns
Incumbent District Attorney Steve Zappala is hoping to retain his seat next year as a Republican after losing the Democratic Primary contest in May to newcomer Matt Dugan.
Zappala, first elected in 1998, has, in recent years, clung to his party’s hollowed center ground as others in Allegheny County have swung left. His prosecution records and limited support for diversionary policies were seized on by Dugan, who shot to victory amid a surge of progressive wins.
Lacking a candidate of their own, some Republicans rallied behind Zappala as a write-in option during the primary season, where he picked up nearly 10,000 votes. County records show he has now accepted the nomination.
