Fundraising for Allegheny County executive Democratic primary exceeds $4 million to date

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- While Allegheny County Democrats choose their party's nominee for county chief executive, the candidates are raising and spending a record amount of money to persuade the voters.

A record six Democrats are running for Allegheny County chief executive: former Pittsburgh school board president Theresa Sciulli Colaizzi, former county Councilman Dave Fawcett, state Rep. Sara Innamorato, Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb, mobile app developer Will Parker, and county Treasurer John Weinstein.

Four of the six are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"We have three, four candidates spending well over six figures, some into millions of dollars," said county Councilman Tom Duerr.    

Duerr is tracking the fundraising because Allegheny County, unlike Philadelphia County, has no limits on the amount of money that individuals and political committees can give to county candidates.   

"When you have the ability to accept $100,000 checks, $200,000 checks or coordinate with these outside PACs to the sums of $500,000, there opens up an avenue for outside influence to be injected into our governments," Duerr said.     

According to campaign reports and sources, John Weinstein's campaign has raised over $1.7 million with tens of thousands from the building trades union PACs. Sara Innamorato's campaign has raised $944,000, with over a half million from PACs, including six-figure checks from the ervices employees union and the Working Families Party. Dave Fawcett has raised over $938,000 with $3,000 from a PAC and $350,000 from himself. Michael Lamb has raised over $762,000 with $166,000 from PACs, including Rich Fitzgerald's campaign.

"I can't criticize any of these candidates for taking this money because they're playing on the rules that we have laid out in that there are no rules," Duerr said. 

Duerr has a bill in county council to impose on Allegheny County candidates the same federal campaign finance limits that Philadelphia and the city of Pittsburgh have.

"Currently, that would be $3,300 for an individual and $5,000 for a PAC," he said. 

Duerr's bill has already been approved by a council committee and he expects a full council vote by the end of the month. In the meantime, county candidates are free to raise and spend as much money as individuals and special interests are willing to give.