Rare contests for Allegheny County Controller, Treasurer posts
The Allegheny County Controller's and Treasurer's offices are being contested for the first time since 2003.
Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty's decision to step down after eight years set the stage for a race between State Rep. Chelsa Wagner, a Democrat, and former PPG executive Bob Howard, a Republican. Incumbent Treasurer John Weinstein, a Democrat first elected in 1999, will face former Alcoa executive Ned Pfeifer, a Republican, in the Nov. 8 election.
Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1 in Allegheny County, and Wagner's and Weinstein's political roots in the region run deep. Wagner, 34, of Beechview, was elected to the state House in 2006 and is the niece of Auditor General Jack Wagner. Weinstein, 47, of Kennedy, is the son of Kennedy Township Treasurer Mel Weinstein.
Howard questioned whether Wagner has enough experience to run an office responsible for auditing $768 million in county operating funds and about $1 billion more in state and federal pass-through spending.
"For that size of a county government, we need someone who has extensive experience in accounting and financial management. I think with my 34-year career at PPG, I have the experience required to do that job," said Howard, 61, of Marshall. That career included three years as the multinational company's European treasurer, he said.
Wagner, who worked as a senior business analyst for the software company American Management Systems before running for the Legislature, said private sector experience isn't enough to run a government department.
"I have worked in both the private sector and the public sector," Wagner said, adding the job requires experience in both. "I really think it takes an understanding of how policy works. ... This should be a person who's ready to play an active role in government."
Howard said Wagner's political ties could compromise her independence.
"There's a reason the controller is elected, not appointed," Howard said. "I'm not embarking on a political career in Allegheny County. I'm not surrounded by a family of ward bosses. I'm not even on a political committee — Republican or Democrat."
Wagner noted she was one of two Democrats to vote against Gov. Ed Rendell's final budget proposal. She said she was the only Allegheny County Democrat to vote against the county's tax on alcoholic drinks, which was 10 percent before being lowered to 7 percent. She said the tax was supported by the Service Employees International Union, a union that had supported her the year before her vote against the tax.
"It's one thing to say, 'I will be independent.' It's another thing to show a record of that," Wagner said.
Pfeifer, 78, of Shadyside, worked as a chemical engineer with Alcoa before moving into the company's planning department and eventually becoming chief financial officer of the company's Australia operation.
"When I was treasurer of Alcoa, we had less than one-third of the people Mr. Weinstein has in his Treasury Department. I'd like to know what the 80 people in his department are doing," Pfeiffer said.
Weinstein said his office has fewer employees now it did 12 years ago when he was elected, and they're doing more.
Weinstein lists as his accomplishments the county becoming the first in Pennsylvania to offer electronic tax bills; consolidating delinquent tax billing for the county, city and Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority; setting up auctions for banks to compete for county savings accounts; and tripling the number of dog licenses the county issues. The Association of Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada recently gave Weinstein an award recognizing the performance of county investments, marking the sixth time he has earned the recognition.
"I run this office like it's a business," Weinstein said.
District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., a?Democrat, is unopposed for re-election.
Allegheny County Controller
BOB HOWARD (R)
Age: 61
Residence: Marshall
Occupation: Retired
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration, Penn State
Family: Married, with two daughters
Political experience: North Allegheny school board member, including two years as president
Chelsa Wagner (D)
Age: 34
Residence: Beechview
Occupation: State representative
Education: Bachelor's degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Family: Married, with one son and another on the way
Political experience: State representative
Allegheny County Treasurer
C.E. "NED" PFEIFER (R)
Age: 78
Residence: Shadyside
Occupation: Consultant
Education: Bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
Family: Married, with a son and a daughter
Political experience: None
John Weinstein (D)
Age: 47
Residence: Kennedy
Occupation: Allegheny County treasurer
Education: Studied business administration at Robert Morris University.
Political experience: Allegheny County treasurer
Family: Married
