Fitzgerald and Peduto throw five-figure PA Society political reception in NYC
Beer, wine, hors d'oeuvres and a choir helped Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Mayor Bill Peduto welcome guests last week to a New York City banquet hall where the pair hosted a reception for Pennsylvania politicians and other notables.
Fitzgerald described the annual event, part of a 119-year-old political tradition known as Pennsylvania Society, as a way to help build relationships and publicize Pittsburgh.
“Like any other political reception that you have, it's trying to develop those relationships, build support for the things you're trying to do, the initiatives you're trying to move forward on,” he said.
The cost? About $45,000, according to campaign finance documents Fitzgerald's campaign filed Thursday, the deadline for campaigns to submit filings 30 days after the general election.
A weekend schedule listed the event, held at Midtown Manhattan Episcopal church St. Bartholomew's, as the “Fitzgerald/Peduto Annual Reception.” The church is next door to the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where the annual event is traditionally held — although this year it was held at the Hilton Midtown due to renovations at the Waldorf.
The pair has been hosting the reception since 2012 or 2013, Fitzgerald said. The cost of this year's event, attended Dec. 1 by about 450 people, is in line with previous years, he said. Fitzgerald isn't up for re-election until 2019; Peduto ran unopposed to win a second four-year term this year. Both are Democrats.
“Things in New York are a lot more expensive than they are in Pittsburgh,” he said.
The campaign finance document lists payments of about $20,500 for catering costs to Inside Park at St. Bart's , a dining and event space at the church, and about $20,400 in “event costs,” which Fitzgerald said ranged from renting the space to paying servers and coat-checkers. There also was a $4,500 payment to St. Bartholomew's for “event costs.”
The combined costs were by far Fitzgerald's largest campaign expense in the filing period, which ran from Oct. 24 to Nov. 27, leaving the campaign with about $1.73 million in the bank.
In addition to senators, members of Congress and state and local politicians, business people and other non-politicians attend, he said.
“There are hundreds and hundreds of Pittsburghers who do go to this every year.”
Topics of conversation ranged from Pittsburgh's chances of landing Amazon's second headquarters and new development at Pittsburgh International Airport to the coming cracker plant in Beaver County and expansions at UPMC and Allegheny Health Network, he said.
Pennsylvania Society is run by a nonprofit whose purpose is to “honor achievement, to reward excellence, to promote good will and understanding and to celebrate service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to humanity in general,” according to its website.
The event played a role in the race for lieutenant governor this year when Murrysville candidate Aryanna Berringer sent out a campaign email criticizing it.
“For decades this charitable event has been overrun with political insiders who schmooze with one another at some of the finest restaurants and hotels that money can afford,” Berringer wrote, adding that “hanging out in swanky NYC bars doesn't seem like a good Progressive answer to me.”
John Fetterman, the Braddock mayor who is another Western Pennsylvania candidate for lieutenant governor, attended.
Fetterman said Berringer's description is off-base, calling Pennsylvania Society an “extraordinary networking event.”
“People try to make it look like it sounds like the ballroom in the Titanic or something, and it's just people standing around with a glass of wine or cocktails connecting with people from across Pennsylvania,” he said.
Wes Venteicher is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-380-5676, wventeicher@tribweb.com or via Twitter @wesventeicher.
