Allegheny County Council to attempt to override Fitzgerald vetoes

Allegheny County Council has scheduled a special meeting on Tuesday in an attempt to override two recent vetoes made by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald concerning a proposed fracking ban and a bill to add oversight to top staffer hiring.

This week, Fitzgerald vetoed a bill that sought to ban new natural-gas leases at the nine Allegheny County Parks. He said on July 13 that the measure was unfairly critical of all fracking companies.

Proponents of the bill believe that parks should be protected from any potential environmental harms caused by natural-gas drilling, aka fracking. Environmental groups plan to attend the meeting in support of overriding the veto.

Supporters of the ban might have enough votes to override Fitzgerald. The bill passed initially by an 11-4 vote, and 10 votes are necessary to override a veto.

One of the fracking ban sponsors, Allegheny County Councilor at large Bethany Hallam, D-North Side, said Fitzgerald’s veto has no merit and is confident councilors can override the veto.

“It is long past due that we as a legislative body stand up for what is right, and combat the extreme executive overreach council has endured for years,” said Hallam.

None of Fitzgerald’s vetoes have been overrode during his 10 years as county executive. In 2004, Fitzgerald was part of a group of councilors that overrode three vetoes from former County Executive Dan Onorato.

The other bill scheduled for a vote has a murkier path to override. A bill that would grant County Council approval over hiring of department directors and division directors passed with an 8-7 vote and it would need to garner 10 votes to be overridden.

The special meeting will be held at 5 p.m. in the Gold Room at the Allegheny County Courthouse on July 19.