Joe Rockey, the Republican candidate for Allegheny County executive, unveiled his campaign’s economic platform Thursday, saying the six-point plan aims to boost the number of available jobs and local economic growth.
“We’ve done some good work on technology jobs. We’ve done some good work on automation jobs and AI jobs,” Rockey said during a news conference at the site of the former Jones & Laughlin steel plant in Hazelwood. "We need to look for all jobs.”
The plan aims to encourage an “all-of-the-above menu of jobs” to come to the region, ranging from technology to manufacturing.
“It is really a framework for us to make Allegheny County a place that attracts employment, as opposed to a county which is pushing employment away,” Rockey said.
He pointed to figures from Pittsburgh Works that say Allegheny County has lost more than 50,000 jobs in the past five years. Pittsburgh Works represents local business interests and some of the more conservative building trade unions.
Rockey’s plan aims to stem job loss by tapping into federal programs such as the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — both of which included investments in manufacturing, supply chains, and the workforce.
He also would “streamline” regulatory approval processes that he said have “held back” companies that may want to set up shop in the county. He cited U.S. Steel’s dashed plan to invest $1.5 billion in its Mon Valley plant as one instance of regulation limiting potential local investments.
“I'm not saying not to follow the process and not to follow the rules and regulations, but we have to do it in a streamlined manner,” Rockey said. “We cannot let administrators stand in the way of jobs that the rest of the county needs.”
His plan also calls for leveraging existing natural resources to encourage new businesses to come to the area, expanding training programs for jobs in multiple industries, encouraging immigration, and promoting the county to entice businesses to the region.
Democratic candidate Sara Innamorato’s “Good Jobs” plan calls for some similar actions, including a “County-Ready Jobs Plan to help the next generation build job skills while serving their community.”
Her plan also lays out policies popular on the left, including directing corporations and nonprofits to “pay their fair share to keep property taxes affordable for working families.”
