Allegheny County Council member Liv Bennett announced plans to run for county executive on Monday. Rich Fitzgerald, who currently holds the office, is term limited and cannot run again.
She joins what’s expected to be a large field of candidates: Democrat Erin McClelland and former Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb announced their candidacies earlier this year; Attorney and former County Councilor David Fawcett and state Rep. Sara Innamorato are also widely expected to run.
At an announcement event Monday afternoon, Bennett, a Democrat, said she hopes to build on her progressive record.
“I ran for county council in 2019 on the heels of the2019 gender equity report and the Antwon Rose protests,” Bennett told supporters, noting that she was partly inspired to run by her desire to see the county enact anindependent police review board.
Bennett helped pass an ordinance to create such a board during her time on council. She also cited paid sick leave and a ban on conversion therapy as major legislation she’s helped pass but said she could do more as county executive.
“We have so much left to do. We see violence in our streets daily, and many of the resources to foster peace in our community sit at our county agencies, such as the Health Department and the Department of Human Services,” she said.
Air quality and environmental issues, and the ongoing poor conditions and deaths at the Allegheny County Jail would be among Bennett’s top concerns if elected.
“We have seen way too many deaths at our county jail and the leadership at the jail has to be held accountable for these deaths and inhumane conditions in the jail,” she said.
Bennett said her lived experience as a Black woman in Allegheny County sets her apart from other candidates. During the COVID-19 pandemic she helped create the Black Equity Coalition, which works to improve equity for Black people, a population that experienced disproportionate inequities during the global health crisis.
“This is especially important as we have seen reports about the plight of Black and brown people in our region. And we need to start creating policy and legislation to intentionally address the disparities in our region.”
Fawn Walker-Montgomery, the co-founder and CEO of Take Action Advocacy Group, said people often downplay the work Black and brown women, including Bennett, have done to help the progressive movement in Allegheny County.
“We cannot ignore all the work that this woman has put in,” Walker-Montgomery said. “Black women built this progressive movement that is happening now in Allegheny County. Let’s be clear about that. Liv was a part of that, she is a part of that.”
Bennett said, if elected county executive, she hopes to make “a more equitable county that is truly livable for all of us.”
Bennett has represented District 13 on Allegheny County Council since 2020. She plans to run for both county executive and county council in 2023.
