A Dozen Southwest County Commissioners Endorse Onorato for Governor

By ONORATO FOR GOVERNOR

PITTSBURGH: A dozen Democratic county commissioners in southwestern Pennsylvania today endorsed Dan Onorato for governor at an 11:30 AM press conference at the Pittsburgh Technology Center in Pittsburgh. The Commissioners represent 8 southwestern Pennsylvania counties and almost 500,000 registered Democratic voters. Onorato’s home county of Allegheny has another 561,293 Democratic voters. The Commissioners’ endorsement is that latest sign of Onorato’s growing campaign support.

“I am extremely proud to receive the support of these leaders because they know what it takes to lead a large government in these difficult times,” said Onorato today. “I look forward to working with them this year to win the election and next year, with their guidance and support, we can make the change Harrisburg needs to restart our economy, create good jobs for our workers and improve education for every child.”

“I am proud to stand here today with my fellow county commissioners to endorse Dan Onorato to be Pennsylvania’s next governor,” said Pam Tokar-Ickes of Somerset County. “Dan has a record of accomplishment, a commitment to reform and a focus on creating jobs that has served him well in Allegheny County and will serve the people of Pennsylvania well in Harrisburg.”

The commissioners endorsing Onorato today are:
·      Beaver County: Joe Spanik
·      Fayette County: Vince Zapotosky
·      Green County: Pam Snyder and Dave Coder
·      Indiana County: Patricia Evanko
·      Lawrence County: Rick DeBlasio and Steve Craig
·      Somerset County: Pam Tokar-Ickes
·      Washington County: Larry Maggi and Bracken Burns
·      Westmoreland County: Tom Balya and Tom Ceraso
“I am endorsing Dan Onorato today because he is committed to revitalizing our economy and helping businesses create new jobs, especially in next generation industries and ‘green’ jobs,” said Tom Ceraso of Westmoreland County. “If southwestern Pennsylvania is going to be able to create jobs and once again be a national economic leader, we need a Governor in Harrisburg who not only understands our area, but understands how important it is to focus on creating next generation jobs.”

On Tuesday, Onorato released his plan to jump start Pennsylvania’s economy – the “Onorato Plan for Economic Development” – which has five (5) central tenets:

· Establish a climate where businesses can succeed;

· Launch a “Grow Your Own” success strategy to help firms start, expand and prosper;

· Encourage entrepreneurship and innovation;

· Boost export opportunities for Pennsylvania companies and attract foreign companies to the state; and

· Ensure that Pennsylvania’s workforce is prepared for and able to access high-skill, well-paying jobs.

As Allegheny County Executive, Onorato has helped lead and manage a large economy whose strength has won national praise. After six years of his leadership, today Allegheny County has more jobs than any other county in Pennsylvania and the county’s unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the state and over 2 percentage points lower than the nation’s. Southwestern Pennsylvania’s transformation from an industrial economy following the collapse of the steel industry into one of the leading areas for high tech and new “green” jobs was one of the central reasons Pittsburgh was selected to host the G-20 in 2010.

With the support of these county leaders, Onorato is continuing to build on the momentum of his campaign, which has already won major endorsements from southeastern Pennsylvania leaders like Congressman Patrick Murphy, State Senators Daylin Leach and Andy Dinniman and State Representative Mike Gerber.

“Not only do we know what our counties need – we know how to win in our counties and we look forward to not only helping Dan win the primary, but also becoming Pennsylvania’s next Governor,” closed Pam Snyder of Greene County. “His election is important for us, for our region and for the entire state of Pennsylvania.”

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