Economic development focus of council race
For social service volunteer William McDermot, the most important political issue for McKees Rocks can be stated simply: Get young people to move there and stay there.
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Community officials agree that economic development, which would attract young residents, is a prime issue in the Nov. 6 election, which sees Democrat incumbent Wayne Fontana and Republican William Stickman IV running for Allegheny County Council's District 12 seat.
District 12 includes McKees Rocks, Stowe and all or part of seven Pittsburgh wards south and west of Downtown.
Fontana is a member of the inaugural County Council that took office in 2000, the first year of the new home-rule government. Terms on the 15-member council are staggered and seven seats are on the Nov. 6 ballot as the first incumbents seek re-election.
Borough secretary William Beck said McKees Rocks was a thriving area when steel mills operated and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad had a major facility there.
'This area was heavily affected when steel and heavy industry left,' said Stickman of Mt. Washington, a student at Duquesne University. 'This is not a business-friendly community. That trend has to be reversed.'
He suggested changing the tax structure, which is based on property taxes, as an incentive to bring new businesses to the area.
Fontana, a Brookline Realtor, said council's economic development committee, which he chairs, has been working with McKees Rocks officials to seek grant money for programs aimed at stimulating business growth.
Recently, County Executive Jim Roddey and Fontana met with McKees Rocks officials to talk about how to revitalize the borough, Beck said.
Council members have worked during the past two years to set up an equitable property assessment system.
He said the effort has been overshadowed by the controversy over the countywide reassessment by Sabre Systems & Service, Inc. Of nearly 600,000 properties in Allegheny County, owners have appealed the assessments on nearly 90,000 of them. Critics contend the reassessment over-valued more modest homes and under-valued more elaborate homes. The county has hired another company to correct errors for the 2002 tax year.
'This government did not hire Sabre and did not write the contract with Sabre, but we have to live with it,' Fontana said.
Susan K. Schmeichel can be reached at sschmeichel@tribweb.com or (412) 306-4527.
