GOP Commishes Celebrate "Cen-DAY-nial"

In the tradition of first-term presidents, Allegheny County Commissioners Larry Dunn and Bob Cranmer commemorated their first 100 days in office this week. The first Republicans in sixty years to control Allegheny County government, Dunn and Cranmer were eager to emphasize their accomplishments since taking office in January. Meanwhile the minority commissioner, Democrat Mike Dawida, preferred to discuss his opposition's missteps.

During a press conference this week, Dunn and Cranmer cited some of the highlights of their first 100 days:

• On their inauguration day, they reopened the county budget, cut county taxes by 20 percent, and froze property assessments for five years.
• They changed the management of the county jail, Children and Youth Services, and the planning and development departments.
• They replaced all but one member of the Port Authority Board and initiated a voluntary retirement program, resulting in the retirement of over 400 employees.

Of course, critics presented another list that emphasized the controversies of the Republican team's first 100 days:

• Approximately 1,100 non-union county employees were denied scheduled raises and several fired employees have filed lawsuits for wrongful dismissal.
• Two top Republican administrators were found to be delinquent in paying their county taxes.
• Dunn and Cranmer's fiscal policies have not curtailed spending. Their current budget is balanced by using $37 million in surplus revenues saved from previous years.

Now that the first GOP commissioners in decades have been in office for 100 days, what is the forecast for the remainder of their term? Dunn reassured his constituents that county spending would be brought under control. Dawida, however, predicted "rough, rough times ahead."

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