What’s at stake: Two-term District 10 incumbent Dewitt Walton is a longtime labor leader who has nevertheless sometimes disagreed with some of his fellow council Democrats, who have joined with progressive political groups to support an independent challenge from longtime activist Carl Redwood this fall. Both men call the Hill District home in a district that runs east from the Hill through Pittsburgh and into the suburbs of Wilkinsburg, Braddock Hills, Edgewood, and Forest Hills.
Annual stipend: $10,939
Further reading: “Longtime local activist Carl Redwood to challenge Walton in County Council race” (Chris Potter, WESA)
Carl Redwood
Redwood is a community activist and socialist who has been a vocal advocate for the Hill District as the neighborhood undergoes redevelopment around PPG Paints Arena. While he’s long been involved in progressive causes, this is his first run for office — a move he says he is making to voice “the real needs and aspirations of our families” and to continue building the movement.
Party: Independent
Place of Residence: Pittsburgh (Hill District)
Education: MSW, University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Project Director of the Pittsburgh Black Worker Center
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Supporters/endorsements: County Council members Bethany Hallam and Anita Prizio, City Councilors Deb Gross and Barb Warwick, and progressive advocacy groups including Clean Water Action, the Green Party of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Democratic Socialists of America, and the Western Pennsylvania Black Political Assembly.
Fundraising (as of 10/23/23):
Total raised (2023): $61,296,98
Total spent (2023): $37,445.13
WESA Candidate Survey
What is the most important issue for residents of your district, and what will you do to tackle it?
Housing is the most important issue for residents in my district. The rent is too damn high. Housing costs are too damn high. I’ll work toward the following legislative goals:
- Pass a Tenants' Bill of Rights, including a right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction, “just cause” requirements for evictions and protection for tenant organizing.
- Promote and support Community Land Trusts (CLTs) as the primary path to long-term affordable housing.
- End the criminalization of unhoused people by working to ensure affordable housing and transitional housing for the unhoused.
- Expand public and social housing.
- Pass a county-level version of the Whole Homes Repair Act.
Allegheny County’s property tax assessment system has been subject to much criticism in recent months. How do you think property tax assessments should be handled going forward, and what steps will you take to accomplish that?
Allegheny County should reassess all county properties. As assessments rise, there should be measures to limit tax increases for long-time homeowners and people with lower incomes.
Conditions at the Allegheny County Jail have become a subject of intense debate, and there is increased discussion of finding a replacement for the now-closed Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. What concerns, if any, do you have about the future for these facilities, and what would you do on council to address those concerns? (Editor’s note: As we were assembling the WESA Voter Guide, the Allegheny County Court of Commons Pleas decided to contract with a nonprofit to reopen the Shuman Center.)
Privatizing any jail, especially one for children, won’t make us safer, nor will incarcerating children at Allegheny County Jail. We must build alternatives to incarceration that provide pathways to justice, healing, and safer communities. ACJ provides neither healing nor makes the county safer.
There’s a future where we don’t use the carceral system, but instead work towards justice that includes more resources for mental health, substance use disorder, food, housing, and other basic needs. Until then, conditions at ACJ are rife with human-rights abuses. I’ll work with community groups and the Department of Human Services to address the human-rights abuses at ACJ.
What strategies do you think the county should be using to encourage job growth and economic development, and what strategies do you think the county should avoid?
We should avoid tax breaks for corporations for job development and instead invest in living wage, unionized public service jobs that can bolster the local economy and help to make our communities stronger, rebuild our infrastructure, and tackle our housing crisis and climate crisis head on. We can increase funding for Community College of Allegheny County to keep tuition low and fund strong educational and job training programs. Additionally, we can invest in job training programs at the jail to help those returning to be ready to enter the workforce. Most importantly, we must support unionizing workers.
County Council has played a more activist role in recent years, sometimes thwarting the county executive's agenda and pursuing its own policy goals. Critics say council is a part-time body whose role should be to oversee the county's budget process. What part do you think council should play in shaping policy, and do you think council needs more staff and resources than it has now?
County Council is our legislative body and must be more than a rubber stamp for our Executive. Council members are elected to represent the people. We must be working to give voice to the people and fighting for them, whether that’s putting forth new ideas and legislation, holding town halls in the community, or connecting with legislators in other localities to learn about what’s working elsewhere to tackle the big challenges — like climate change and housing costs. That takes work and staff. Council needs more staff and resources in order to best represent the people.
DeWitt Walton
Walton has been one of council’s most prominent voices and an early proponent of a police review board. He has long-standing ties with local unions — including the United Steelworkers, where he worked for 25 years — and has been involved in a number of community groups. But he has at times been at odds with members of his own party, including a dispute earlier this year in which he opposed a wage increase for county workers.
Party: Democratic
Place of Residence: Pittsburgh (Hill District)
Education: B.A., Idaho State University
Current occupation: Program director, Pittsburgh A. Philip Randolph Institute
Relevant experience: Forty years of experience as a journeyman, craftsman, and union representative within Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Supporters/endorsements: Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, former Congressman Mike Doyle, state Rep. Abigail Salisbury and other local elected officials, as well as multiple unions including the Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Council, United Steelworkers, Steamfitters #449, IBEW LU #5 and Operating Engineers #66
Fundraising (as of 10/23/23):
Total raised (2023): $87,040.00 (plus $2,843.59 on hand at the beginning of 2023)
Total spent (2023): $29,492.80
WESA Candidate Survey
What is the most important issue for residents of your district? What will you do to tackle that issue?
My district is broad and diverse, and as a result, different communities have different needs, ranging from economic development to raising per capita income, affordable housing, child welfare, and public safety, along with service needs from organizations such as ALCOSAN. My approach is to identify the problem and determine what resources are available to provide information for possible remedies if possible. If no existing treatment is available, seek alternatives to resolve the issue. For example, we seek federal funding to solve a sewage overflow problem in Edgewood.
In recent months, Allegheny County’s property tax assessment system has been subject to much criticism. How do you think property tax assessments should be handled going forward, and what steps will you take to accomplish that?
The tax issue is broad and will require multiple steps for reform. However, the courts will determine the resolution as the tax levy is mandated by the common level ratio and set by the State Tax Equalization Board. To address the challenge locally, I authored and passed legislation to extend the appeal period whereby residents can appeal their tax bills to ensure equity.
What strategies do you think the county should be using to encourage job growth and economic development, and what strategies do you think the county should avoid?
Allegheny County needs to be aligned with the overall vision and planning of the region and its stakeholders. One area of opportunity to note would be the federal investment of time and resources for decarbonization, but the deployment of the strategy should bring strong economic benefits to the region, making it more attractive for business investment and job creation across a variety of industries. The region also has federal investment in robotics AI, and advanced manufacturing. All of this goes in sync with skills-based hiring which would provide the opportunity for family-sustaining economic opportunities for the residents of Allegheny County. Jobs without career tracks are avoidable.
Conditions at the Allegheny County Jail have become a subject of intense debate, and there is increased discussion of finding a replacement for the now-closed Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. What concerns, if any, do you have about the future for these facilities, and what would you do on council to address those concerns? (Editor’s note: As we were assembling the WESA Voter Guide, the Allegheny County Court of Commons Pleas decided to contract with a nonprofit to reopen the Shuman Center.)
As a matter of public safety, there must be a detention facility for juveniles who pose a serious threat to communities and themselves. It must meet standards set by the Commonwealth to provide the needed services to create a safe environment that offers opportunities for positive growth. As to the county jail issues, we must find solutions to the staffing challenges that exacerbate other matters and inequities, and we must continue to work toward health care solutions for longer-incarcerated and soon-to-be-released inmates.
County Council has played a more activist role in recent years, sometimes thwarting the county executive's agenda and pursuing its policy goals. Critics say the council is a part-time body whose role was initially intended to oversee the county's budget process. What role do you think the board should play in shaping policy, and do you think it needs more staff and resources than it has now?
Council staff should be at least as diverse as the residents of Allegheny County, and it currently has no diversity. If the council is truly concerned and wants to pursue policies that reflect being an activist body, that activism should start and be practiced internally. The council was established to be the legislative body of government and is responsible for putting forth legislation addressing the concerns and challenges of our residents. Dealing with the county budget is one of many responsibilities of the council.
