Regan drops bid for Allegheny County judge

Pittsburgh City Solicitor Daniel Regan withdrew from the race for Allegheny County Common Pleas judge but hopes to stay in a public job.

Regan said Monday he discussed joining a task force that District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is building with U.S. Attorney David Hickton. After that he wants to run for judge again in 2015.

“I plan on continuing to serve the city and Allegheny County,” said Regan, 37, of the North Side, a former assistant district attorney who became solicitor in 2009.

Zappala described the violent-crimes task force he's looking to build as an extension of an anti-crime initiative that started in the Mon Valley and resulted in 30 federal indictments last month.

“Look at Homewood. The crime is moving rapidly,” Zappala said, referring to a string of shootings last week in the East End. “A lot of communities will be affected.”

Zappala said he wants to dedicate a prosecutor to the task force, but his office is too busy. He said he would hire Regan if he's interested.

Regan said he dropped out of the judge's race because he joined too late to pick up key endorsements.

“Out of respect for the Democratic Committee process as well as my friends in organized labor, I have decided to withdraw from this election,” he said.

Commonwealth Court approved his request Monday. He needed court approval because deadline to withdraw was last month. Regan's exit leaves 13 candidates for four seats on the bench in the May 21 primary.

“I made the decision last week,” he said. “It had everything to do with entering the race too late.”

Regan joined the race in the first week of March after his boss, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, said he was withdrawing from his campaign for re-election. By then it was too late to seek endorsements from the county Democratic Committee and the Allegheny County Labor Council.

The committee and council on March 8 endorsed Judge Paul Cozza, 52, of Baldwin, P.J. Murray, 51, of Upper St. Clair, Jennifer Satler, 37, of Washington's Landing and Mark Tranquilli, 45, of Upper St. Clair.

Regan was seeking both the Democratic and Republican nomination.

Nancy Patton Mills, chair of the county Democratic Committee, said Regan's decision might help him gain the endorsement in 2015.

“The committee has a lot of respect for someone who steps aside for the endorsed candidates,” she said.

David Conti is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-388-5802 or dconti@tribweb.com.