Allegheny County Councilman Finnerty to resign post
Allegheny County Councilman Michael Finnerty intends to resign before the end of the year to take a job in incoming state Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik's office.
Finnerty, a Democrat from Scott, told the Tribune-Review he wasn't sure when he would turn in his resignation.
“I might do it tomorrow,” Finnerty said Thursday.
Council holds its final meeting of the year Tuesday.
Finnerty has been on council for 11 years and is serving his third term. He is up for election in 2017, and he said he intended to run for a fourth term until Kulik approached him about working for her. Kulik's 45th District overlaps Finnerty's 4th Council District.
Finnerty doesn't have a formal role in Kulik's office yet but said he will be doing public relations for the first-term legislator.
Kulik, a Kennedy Democrat, ran unopposed in November. The 45th District seat was left open when state Rep. Nick Kotik, D-Coraopolis, decided not to seek re-election. Kulik served as Kotik's legislative aide.
Finnerty, a retired Chartiers Valley School District teacher and coach, chaired council's Budget and Finance Committee. He headed efforts in the past few months to raise the stipends and salaries for council members and the county executive and to increase the spending accounts of council members.
Finnerty's resignation will set up a peculiar election season. Council Democrats will appoint someone to fill Finnerty's seat until the general election in November. Voters in that election will choose someone to serve the rest of Finnerty's term, which expires at the end of 2017, and someone for the new term beginning in 2018.
Voters in November will elect someone for the new term that starts in 2018. Candidates will appear on the ballot in the primary for that term and in the general election.
County ethics rules require Finnerty to step down to take the job in Kulik's office. The county's code of ethics prohibits council members from being employed “in a confidential administrative capacity” in local, state or federal government. Councilman Bob Macey, D-West Mifflin, quit his job in state Sen. Jim Brewster's office in 2015 after the county Accountability, Conduct and Ethics Commission found him in violation of ethics rules.
Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aaupperlee@tribweb.com or 412-336-8448.
Note: The story has been updated to correct the election process of filling Finnerty's seat.
