Here are the 2019 PGH 14 WIDC Endorsements! 03/13/202204/28/2019 by admin Get our 2019 Primary Election Voters’ Guide now! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 28, 2019 CONTACT 14th WARD CLUB ENDORSES JENKINS for ALLEGHENY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY BETHANY HALLAM ENDORSED for ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCIL AT-LARGE Cherylie Fuller Endorsed for City Council District 9 Pam Harbin is the choice for School Board District 4 15 Candidates for office and 3 surrogates spoke to PGH 14 WIDC members and interested citizens. Right in the middle of the 14th Ward, the Pittsburgh Board of Education District 4 contest has been very competitive. Both Anna Batista and Pam Harbin presented their experience to the PGH 14 WIDC endorsement forum attendees and faced many questions about charter schools and the efficient use of Board resources. Club members decided that Pam Harbin is the Club’s endorsee for School Board District 4. The voting members of the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club have endorsed attorney Turahn Jenkins for Allegheny County District Attorney. Recent concerns and organizing over police use of force and accountability were evidently rendered into action to advocate for change in the DA’s office. Recent elections and the conduct of the federal government have motivated many women to run for office. SW PA has its share of new and savvy women candidates, too, with opportunity and fairness for ex-offenders, environmental quality, and the voice of under-represented people in the community in governing decisions being priority issues. Club membership was sufficiently impressed with Bethany Hallam’s enthusiasm and understanding of the issues as to vote to endorse her for Allegheny County Council Member At-Large. The Endorsement Forum attendees heard from three candidates for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas: George Heym, Brian Samuel Malkin, and Mary McGinley. Ms. McGinley got the endorsement. At its 55th annual Endorsement Election Forum today, the Club also endorsed community activist, volunteer, and retired transit operator Cherylie Fuller for City Council District 9. The city council district includes Regent Square, Park Place, and North Point Breeze in the 14th Ward. Several attendees voiced concern and asked about inclusion in the new East End development, affordable housing opportunities, and developer political influence in District 9 and throughout the City of Pittsburgh. Only one candidate for PA Superior Court received at least 40% of endorsement votes cast for that office: USW Associate Counsel Amanda Green Hawkins. She is the endorsed candidate for PA Superior Court. PGH 14 WIDC Board members Karen Hochberg and Heidi Norman, the moderators of the forum, managed an efficient agenda to give fair time to 18 candidates for government offices. Out of concern for fairness, each candidate was allowed 5 minutes for their speeches and questions. Most candidates stayed after their turn at the forum to speak out in the hallways with those who had more to discuss than the five minutes for each candidate could allow. The PGH 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club works to encourage progressive Democratic candidates for elected office and supports open, inclusive, and transparent government. The Club further advocates for environmental, economic, and social justice. Questions from Club members and attendees at the April 28 Endorsement Forum frequently probed into candidates’ records and stands on these issues. With more than 18,000 registered Democrats, the 14th Ward is the largest ward in the City of Pittsburgh and second largest in the state. The Ward includes all or part of Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, North Point Breeze, Park Place, Regent Square, and Swisshelm Park. The Club, which is not affiliated with the Democratic Committee of Allegheny County, is the oldest independent Democratic club in the country and has made annual candidate endorsements for 55 years. Its endorsements are printed in a Voters’ Guide and mailed to Democratic voters in the ward. The endorsements are also posted at the club’s website http://www.pgh14widc.org The Club’s open endorsement process allows members to hear candidates present their positions before casting their votes for the office seekers who best match their values and priorities, and have best responded to important issues. Here is the club’s full slate of endorsed candidates: Pennsylvania Superior Court: Amanda Green Hawkins Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas: Mary McGinley Allegheny County Council At-Large: Bethany Hallam Allegheny County Council District 11: Paul Klein Allegheny County Executive: Rich Fitzgerald Allegheny County District Attorney: Turahn Jenkins Allegheny County Controller: Chelsa Wagner Allegheny County Treasurer: John Weinstein City of Pittsburgh Controller: Michael Lamb City of Pittsburgh Council District 5: Corey O’Connor City of Pittsburgh Council District 9: Cherylie Fuller Pittsburgh Board of Public Education District 4: Pam Harbin ### Get our 2019 Primary Election Voters’ Guide now!
