City and county may join

You may not have a mayor soon, but you’ll still be considered Pittsburghers.

And instead of… You may not have a mayor soon, but you’ll still be considered Pittsburghers.

And instead of being the 68th largest city in the nation, Pittsburgh will rank in the top 10.

These are just some of the outcomes you can expect if the consolidation between the city and Allegheny County governments comes into fruition.

During an hour-long meeting in the William Pitt Union yesterday, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and Vice Chancellor Robert Hill announced they’ve agreed on a more efficient way to govern.

Nordenberg said that the Citizens Advisory Committee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of City-County Government is calling for more consolidation between the two governments.

Onorato and Ravenstahl established the committee in 2006, and both men expressed their support for the decision.

“I’m excited about what we’ve accomplished to date,” Onorato said. “I think it’s been historic.

“I believe this is the future of southwestern Pennsylvania, and when you say Pittsburgh, you’re talking about southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Ravenstahl stressed that the voices of the voters will be heard.

He plans to travel to Harrisburg this month to discuss the issue and put it on a ballot as early as 2009.

Many details, such as cost and configuration of the future government, are still under debate, but both Onorato and Ravenstahl said their jobs would no longer exist as they are now.

Ravenstahl also said that they were anticipating some opposition, but he said change always faces opposition and that their goal is efficiency.

Both Ravenstahl and Nordenberg referenced the successful merger of the county and city of Louisville, Ky., as a model for Pittsburgh.

“The governments of the city and Allegheny County should be forged in leadership and higher levels of leadership growth,” said Nordenberg, who sits on the committee.

“If you start picturing yourself as a region, if you start viewing yourself as a region, you will be very successful.”