A look at the candidates for Allegheny County Executive, their plans

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — After 12 years, Allegheny County will have a new executive in 2024.

Democrat Sara Innamorato just left the Pennsylvania State House after five years and Republican Joe Rockey is a retired executive with PNC Bank, who is now running commercials across Pittsburgh.

Channel 11 will air a debate between Innamorato and Rockey, and we plan to announce details soon.

Plans for crime, homelessness

Allegheny County Executive race: A look at candidates' plans for crime, homelessness

There is a stark contrast between these two candidates and their visions for the future of Allegheny County. Both spoke with Channel 11 about some of the issues bubbling up, including crime and homelessness and what they plan to do about them.

Both say there is work to do to change the perception of Downtown Pittsburgh.

“How do we make sure more of the good stuff can happen, and how do we think long-term, making strategic investments downtown to help convert office space into residential space? [Do] more programming to bring people downtown and really support the businesses and people that make downtown so vibrant,” Innamorato said.

“Downtown is a problem and the crime is a challenge for the region. We need to address the crime,” Rockey said. “We’ve got to focus on making ourselves the safest city in America, not just saying we did better than last year.”

Part of dealing with downtown is finding a solution to the issue of homelessness.

“We need to address the homeless with a degree of compassion and that compassion includes making sure we address the drug challenges that exist,” Rockey said.

“We need more facilities like Second Avenue Commons but we need to make sure they aren’t concentrated in one area. We don’t want to make downtown a hub,” Innamorato said.

Youth violence is an issue impacting so many different communities in Allegheny County. Channel 11 has reported extensively on issues with the justice system and the lack of a legitimate juvenile detention center which both candidates say is needed.

“Both for the juvenile to give them a chance to pause, have the right resources around them to understand what’s going on while they’re going through the criminal justice system and equally for the community where the violence has occurred,” Rockey said.

“They need an opportunity to rehabilitate. So, we need a detention center that can hold those youth that are highly specialized, that have stringent oversight,” Innamorato said.

Plans to keep businesses booming

Allegheny County Executive race: A look at candidates' plans to keep businesses booming

The once-booming tech industry has dwindled over the last few years and bolstering the economic landscape will certainly be a top priority for either candidate. In fact, from 2017-2022, the county lost an estimated 50,000 jobs.

“We have such an opportunity to invest in up-and-coming industries like life sciences. We are the epicenter for autonomous vehicles and robotics and we have the opportunity to bring in more manufacturing capacity into our region,” Innamorato said.

“We were the manufacturing headquarters of the country for most of the last century. We have a great workforce and innovation here,” Rockey said.

Part of the solution, the candidates agree, will involve taking advantage of federal dollars. Both cited the Inflation Reduction Act.

Rockey also highlighted the CHIPS Act that promotes semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. He says he’d also like to see the Pittsburgh region become a “hydrogen hub.”

“We have to go sell ourselves to the businesses that are making and building things in this country and bringing supply chains back to this country,” Rockey said.

Innamorato says bringing in new business is important, but so is growing what’s already here.

“We need to take care of the businesses that call this place home that are deeply invested in Allegheny County, in this region, bring them back to the table and say ‘what is the workforce that you need and how do we invest our resources into pipelines so that you can get the employees and talent you need,’” Innamorato said.

Finding investors, whether in the private sector or government, is key.

Innamorato says she already has the support of our local, state and federal politicians.

“It’s those types of relationships you need in order to be competitive as a region for this unprecedented amount of federal money that exists,” Innamorato said.

Rockey, who is touting his credentials in a slew of political ads now airing on TV, says he’s the right person to act as the county’s executive salesman.

“The number one thing you have to do as county executive is sell the county. You have to sell it to the companies you’re trying to bring in, the federal government to make investments here, the state to make investments here,” Rockey said.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group