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Simms shares the spoils of County Council victory
Friday, January 04, 2002 By Jeffrey Cohan, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Allegheny County Council begins the new year with a new president, a new member, new committees -- and festering hostilities.
James Simms, selected president Wednesday night in a divisive vote, has wasted no time in putting his stamp on the 15-member body.
He has rewarded his supporters, most of whom happen to be Republicans, with the choicest committee assignments. And he has punished some of his opponents on council, all of whom happen to be fellow Democrats, swiftly if not severely.
"This is a high-stakes ball game," said Simms, D-Hill District. "If you want to play in this traffic, you have to learn to live with the consequences."
But even before Simms succeeded John DeFazio as president, big changes were in store for the legislative arm of the county's home-rule government.
The defeat of District 4 Councilwoman Eileen Wagner, D-Scott, in November's election cost the Democrats their super-majority, leaving them one member short of the number needed to override the vetoes of county Chief Executive Jim Roddey, a Republican.
For the first two years of home-rule government, the 10 council Democrats could ram through anything they wanted -- Republicans be damned. Now, the nine remaining Democrats will have to deal with Republicans to avoid stalemates.
"There is a new paradigm on County Council," Simms said. "It's going to require much stronger negotiating skills."
The victor in District 4, Republican Doug Price of Carnegie, took the oath of office Wednesday night, and the council immediately felt his presence and Wagner's absence.
Price, in effect, cast the deciding vote for Simms, who prevailed on the winning end of an 8-7 split against the other presidential contender, Democrat Charles Martoni of Swissvale. If Wagner had won in November, Martoni would be wielding the gavel today, not Simms.
The eight votes for Simms came from all six Republicans, from the council's only other black member, Democrat Brenda Frazier of Stanton Heights, and from Simms himself.
Some Republican-loving pundits have fantasized that Simms, Frazier and the six GOP members will stick together as a governing majority, shutting out most of the Democrats. But no one on council subscribes to that view, least of all Simms.
"My vote has been consistent with my Democratic colleagues down through the line," Simms said, stretching the point only a little.
Immediately after Wednesday's vote, he added, "I don't think we're looking at ... any kind of new, long-lasting coalition."
Councilman Dave Fawcett, R-Oakmont, foresees ephemeral coalitions forming on an issue-by-issue basis and occasional reversions to party-line votes.
"I think it's going to be a healthier body," he said.
Fawcett has emerged with one of the biggest rewards for supporting Simms, the chairmanship of council's Economic Development Committee.
He will replace Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, who harshly criticized Simms for flip-flopping and voting against a Democrat-backed "living-wage" bill on Dec. 4.
Simms also stripped a committee chairmanship from another of his loudest critics, replacing Rich Fitzgerald, D-Squirrel Hill, with C.L. "Jay" Jabbour, D-West Mifflin, as head of the Public Works Committee.
Referring to the brickbats that fellow Democrats fired at him after the living-wage vote, Simms said, "The animus was so deep for some reason."
He rewarded Frazier and Jan Rea, R-McCandless, by naming them to chair the Human Services and Public Safety committees, respectively.
Rick Schwartz, D-Plum, and DeFazio, D-Shaler, will chair the Intergovernmental Relations and Appointments Review committees, respectively.
Councilman Mike Crossey, D-Mt. Lebanon, turned down Simms' offer of the Administrative Services Committee chairmanship.
Fontana will chair a special committee on property assessment and Vince Gastgeb, a Republican, will lead a special committee on parks. Simms created both committees.
The new council president saved the most powerful chairmanship for himself: that of the Budget and Finance Committee.
DeFazio, who had contemplated resigning from council last month but said yesterday he intended to stay on board for the final two years of his term, was not surprised that Simms gave chairmanships to council members who had supported his presidential aspirations.
"He owes the [Republican] side some things," said DeFazio. "I guess you should take care of the people who helped you."
Simms, making another change, also announced that he wants the Democrats and Republicans to organize as party caucuses and pick chairmen.
For the Democratic caucus, Simms said he would seek legal advice to avoid violations of the state's Sunshine Law, which bans closed-door meetings of a majority of council members, with only limited exceptions.
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