Overview
Allegheny County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
As of 2000, the population was 1,281,666.
The county seat is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The county forms the nucleus of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical area.
Allegheny County was officially created on September 24, 1788
from parts of Washington and Westmoreland Counties.
The area developed rapidly throughout the 19th century to become the center
of steel production in the nation.
Pittsburgh would later be labelled as the "Steel Capital of the World."
Government
For most of the 20th century until 1999, the county was governed exclusively
under the state's Second Class County Code. Under this code, the county
handled everything: elections, prisons, airports, public health and city planning.
Unlike the rest of the state where certain public offices are combined & held by
one person, in Allegheny County all public offices are held by elected individuals.
Before January 1, 2000, there were three county commissioners. These were
replaced with an elected chief officer (the county executive), a county council with
15 members (13 elected by district, 2 elected county-wide), and an appointed
county manager. The changes were intended to maintain a separation of powers
between the executive and legislative branches while providing the citizens with
greater control over the government.
Effective with the 1998 Home Rule Charter [Link] ...
"all elected officers of the county shall be elected to four-year terms" ... "All terms
shall commence on the first business day of January following the election..."
