Platform Introduction
When roads don’t get cleared or pools don’t open, it’s because of how much money we have and how we decide to spend it. When our government officials allow UPMC and other large corporations to evade taxes in exchange for unsecured promises, working families suffer with fewer services, higher tax rates, and more out-of-pocket costs. Workers at UPMC and Amazon understand that their bosses are more interested in multi-million dollar bonuses than serving our community. That’s why I don’t take corporate money.
The direct statutory authority of the County Controller to audit our County’s billion dollar budget is strong, vast, and underused. In addition, the Controller can independently analyze data and collaboratively create policy with the general public, County Council, authorities, and the Chief Executive. I’ve been independently auditing and overseeing the County government from the perspective of a Township Auditor, and as Controller, I’ll continue this work. But I can’t do it alone, and I will need your input and suggestions every step of the way! If you have a comment or suggestion about an important issue you face, please reach out to me here.
Audit & Tax UPMC
UPMC calls itself a “purely public charity” and non-profit, yet it exploits its workers and our community for profit at every chance it gets. UPMC received over $1.1 billion in federal pandemic aid, yet in the first half of 2021, it posted over 600 million in profit. Today, it continues to exploit tax loopholes and government incompetence to evade taxes while paying its leadership millions and acquiring hospitals in Europe. The Controller’s Office should use its existing statutory authority to make UPMC pay its taxes.
Last year, I conducted an audit demonstrating that UPMC’s Corporate Real Estate Division was not paying taxes on several parking facilities valued at a total of 32 million dollars. If returned to tax rolls, these parcels would bring $760,000 in taxes to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh Public Schools each year. I presented my audit to the Pittsburgh City Council this past December.
Eliminate Jail Liabilities
The County Controller is an ex officio (automatic) member of the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board (commonly abbreviated to JOB). I have been fighting for a more humane jail since 2018 when I worked with Councilwoman Prizio to spearhead a push to curtail unconstitutional strip searches, particularly of sexual assault victims. Since then, I have used the Right-To-Know law to investigate and expose the harmful and deadly conditions within the jail, including a lack of vaccination plans, improper record-keeping, poor nutrition, and improper contracts. I’ve won over a dozen Right to Know Law cases against the current Controller’s office, which has improperly attempted to shield the public from jail information.
Clean Air for All
As a teenager, I experienced multiple lung collapses and as a result, part of my left lung was removed in 2015. So when it comes to air quality, it’s personal. Violators such as the Clairton Coke Works are spewing toxic chemicals into our air at rates that exceed legal limits. Unfortunately, the Health Department has been slow to enact fines, and the administration has previously attempted to misuse the Clean Air fund for routine building repairs instead of mitigating health impacts in impacted communities.
Read more about my plans to audit the Clean Air fund and calculate appropriate fines.
Improve County Working Conditions
Audit County Employee Wages: Which are too high, and which are too low?
Every department is suffering from low retention, high turnover, and unsatisfied staff. If we want our government to work for our constituents, we need to hire, retain, compensate, and support employees. While the County Executive’s staff has received 40% pay increases since 2019, most County employees aren’t even receiving cost of living adjustments that reflect inflation, even though we have the budget for it and our workers need the support. Lavish pay raises for top staff while pinching pennies for most county workers costs us in employee retention, and it is an unfair approach that does not prioritize the long-term effectiveness of county government. All workers at every level deserve a fair salary that compensates them for their talent and commitment to Allegheny County.
Universal Work From Home: More time with families, less time in traffic
For desk employees, work-from-home has its benefits and disadvantages. For the county, work-from-home and remote work saves energy, reduces carbon emissions from commutes, and increases flexibility for families. As Controller, I will allow my entire office a flexible work-from-anywhere policy that allows them to work remotely as long as the work is getting done. Sometimes, in-person activities are necessary to complete work requirements, but generally, most in-person meetings can just be a video call or an email. I will also audit the policies of other departments to estimate carbon-savings, time-savings, and cost-savings, including but not limited to a universal work-from-anywhere program for other county employees.
Increase the Controller’s Office Minimum Wage to $20/hr
15% of Controller Employees were making less than a $20/hour equivalent salary (based on September 2022 data). With rampant inflation and increased housing costs, the County needs to pay a competitive wage to attract and maintain talented civil servants who perform critical government functions that pay tremendous dividends in effectiveness and efficiency. With a starting rate of $20/hr for all employees, we will not only attract more talented applicants, they’ll be better able to contribute to our local economy and are less likely to leave for private sector employment. We’d also combat some of the inequity within the office.
Consider the Controller’s Office September 2022 employment statistics for active employees' yearly salaries. The average salary for white employees is 65,200. The average for Black employees is 49,800. In fact, nearly 40% of Black employees in the Controller's office make less than a 20/hr annual equivalent, whereas only 13% of all employees make less than 20/hr. Black employees make up 15% of the office’s active employees, yet 45% of the employees who make less than 20/hr.
The Controller can immediately increase wages for their staff and can also advocate for a government-wide increase. The financial impact within the Controller’s office budget would be just ~$93,000 to increase the salaries of ~14 positions to a 20/hr equivalent salary for an office that has over 80 employees.
December 2022 Data Update:
In the Controller’s Office, Black employees make on average 76% of White employees, and that’s worse than it was a year ago when it was 83%. In fact, while the racial salary gap across the rest of the county government has decreased by 1.5% over the past year, it has increased in the County Controller’s office where salaries for White employees on average have jumped over 7.5 percent, yet the salaries for Black employees have decreased by 1.3%.
Countywide, Black workers make 87.64% of white workers, but in the Controller’s Office, Black workers make 76.40% of white workers.
Our Local Housing Crises
Rental and housing prices within the County are skyrocketing in some areas as values plummet in other areas, leading to mass home-buying by corporate investors with no stake in our community. Today’s housing crisis is directly linked to gentrification, speculation, wealthy “non-profits”, and racist housing policies. As Controller, I’ll formally investigate who is buying large quantities of single-family homes and why, and I will propose policy interventions to reduce rents for working families, young people, and everyone else who wants to live in Allegheny County. Generally, we should be investing in housing near transit centers (“transit-oriented housing”) and encouraging an abundance of construction to drive down rents. Our homelessness epidemic is directly linked to a lack of affordable housing.
Protect local businesses from Amazon.
Amazon does not collect the local sales tax collected by most stores with storefronts within Allegheny County and Philadelphia. This puts it at a competitive advantage at the expense of our local businesses. In 2021, I pushed for the introduction of H.B. 1656 sponsored by State Reps. Sara Innamorato and Malcolm Kenyatta which would close this legally dubious loophole. As County Controller, he will keep track of the impact this tax evasion has on the Regional Asset District’s finances, and will lobby in Harrisburg for law changes to explicitly close this loophole. Otherwise, this fee should not be unfairly collected from our local small businesses and the fee’s revenue should be raised through fairer means.
Investigate Underfunding of CCAC
Pennsylvania’s Law requires Allegheny County to provide ⅓ of CCAC’s funding, yet for years the County had consistently been allocating only around 22%. This means the County is not compliant with the law. This passes the financial burden onto students, even though CCAC funding has consistently contributed to our County revenues and local economy. For every 1 dollar Allegheny County invests in CCAC, it returns over 5 dollars into our community. As Controller, I will work with CCAC to audit the impact of the County’s underfunding on students and operations, and I will support fully funding one of our greatest resources.