Real Reform: Making Government Smarter and More Efficient
As Pennsylvania's families tighten their belts to make ends meet during these tough economic times, our leaders in Harrisburg should do the same. As Governor, Dan will find new and innovative ways to be smarter and more efficient. As Chief Executive of Pennsylvania’s second largest county, Dan Onorato has done just that – eliminated waste, consolidated government services and saved taxpayers millions of dollars each year.
Changing the Way Government Does Business: When Dan Onorato was elected Allegheny County Executive in 2003, he inherited a county that was saddled with inefficiencies. Set in its old ways, the county was costing taxpayers millions. When Dan took office, he immediately set out to change the way government does business.
- Dan reduced the county payroll by 600 positions without eliminating critical government services, saving taxpayers more than $30 million each year.
- Dan took on the political establishment, leading the row office campaign to consolidate ten political offices previously held by elected officials.
Smart Reforms To Make Government More Effective: As Governor, Dan will consolidate multiple government agencies that perform the same service, ending the waste and inefficiency that plagues Harrisburg. As County Executive, Dan found creative ways to consolidate services between Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh – making government smaller and more effective.
- Dan combined Pittsburgh’s finger-printing operation, municipal court and 911 call centers with Allegheny County’s systems.
- Dan entered into joint contracts and agreements with the City of Pittsburgh, which brought down the costs of services like telecommunications, saving millions of dollars.
- Dan led the fight to consolidate local municipalities without breaking apart existing school districts. Combining public works and emergency response operations between adjoining municipalities created a much-needed central command in each region – saving money and making government more responsive to local residents.
Making Government More Energy Efficient: As Governor, Dan will save taxpayers money by making government buildings and facilities more energy efficient. As County Executive, Dan established the “Allegheny Green” initiative to promote energy efficient practices within government.
- Dan replaced more than 805 incandescent light fixtures at the county jail with high-efficiency LED lights. LED lights consume 83 percent less energy and will save taxpayers $178,000 in energy costs during the first year alone.
- Under Dan’s leadership, Allegheny County unveiled the largest solar thermal system in the region at the Ross Hill Senior Residence. By replacing the old natural gas system with a solar thermal system, carbon emissions were reduced by 38 tons annually and residents saved thousands of dollars on their utility bills each year.
