Allegheny County Councilman Tom Duerr not seeking reelection
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The youngest Allegheny County councilman said Monday that he will not seek reelection next year.
Councilman Tom Duerr, D-Bethel Park, became the youngest elected official in Allegheny County government history when he was elected in 2019 at 24.
In a tweet, Duerr said he would not seek reelection because he wants to focus on a different political career or possibly running for higher office.
“While I have learned a tremendous amount serving in my capacity as county council member these past years, I believe it is time for me to take the next step in my career,” wrote Duerr in a statement.
My statement regarding my future on Allegheny County Council, next years election and my future plans: pic.twitter.com/lC8YNMXWky
— Tom Duerr (@TomDuerrPA) August 22, 2022
Duerr said his time on county council has been rewarding and challenging. He said he has tried to bring a balanced and pragmatic approach to governing, and is proud of his accomplishments, including a recent bill protect abortion access.
Though one of the more liberal members of council, Duerr has clashed with some progressives on council, usually disagreeing on style of governing more than the substance of bills. For example, during a veto override vote to establish a ban on fracking in county-owned parks, Duerr supported the measure, but defended fracking workers and called for efforts to ensure they don’t lose any work because of the ban.
Duerr, often an ally of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, was also nearly censured after he allegedly yelled at another council member following a vote to reject appointments made by Fitzgerald.
At the time, Duerr said he would have worn the censure “like a badge of honor.”
District 5, which Duerr represents, includes Bethel Park, Dormont, Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair.
Duerr flipped the longtime Republican seat from red to blue in 2019, defeating former incumbent Republican Sue Means.
Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, a progressive Democratic from Pittsburgh’s North Side, took to Twitter on Monday to solicit possible candidates for the District 5 seat.
Hallam and Duerr have been adversaries at times during their tenures.
Duerr said he would be working over the next few months to try to identify a capable successor to run for his seat. He said the district deserves a balanced, transparent and pragmatic representative.
“I believe at the end of my term, my district and our county, will be in a better place than when I started,” Duerr said.