Allegheny County executive talks public safety, reassessments and Downtown in quarterly address
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato laid out her plan for her time in office.
On Tuesday, she delivered her first quarterly address to Allegheny County Council. Innamorato talked about public safety, reassessments, revitalizing Downtown Pittsburgh and affordable housing.
"Building an Allegheny County for all means that we have a diverse and robust economy and everyone has access to the prosperity that economy brings," she said.
In her address, Innamorato focused on public safety improvements and the revitalization of Downtown.
"We are constantly at the table with Allegheny Conference, the mayor's administration and the (Urban Redevelopment Authority) to reimagine our Downtown, not only as a diverse economy but as a vibrant and thriving neighborhood," Innamorato said.
As we've been reporting, Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Schools announced its intention to file a lawsuit against Allegheny County seeking a court order to reassess all properties in the county. A vote on that issue happens on Wednesday.
After the address, KDKA-TV asked her if she was prepared to immediately direct a reassessment.
"This is a problem that has plagued the region. The system is not working as it is designed. But we can't rush into anything. We need to be deliberate. We need to have voices at the table to say how we move forward because the system is broken."
On Monday, the county agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Councilman Sam DeMarco over the placement of five proposed ballot drop-off locations. The Board of Elections will meet and vote on that proposal on Wednesday.
"We have a lot of work cut out for us and we need to get down to business to solve that as quickly as possible," Councilperson Pat Catena said.
KDKA-TV also spoke to Innamorato about the future of Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. On Monday, a judge refused to throw out a lawsuit by council council over the facility.
"We all share the same vision, that we want to keep kids safe who are caught up in the criminal justice system, and we want to keep our communities safe when there is criminal activity going on," Innamorato said.
Innamorato said it's about finding the clearest path to open the center. Once that happens, county officials can focus on more prevention efforts.