Jason Killmeyer and Erin Koper: Which way, Western Pa.?

Walking through downtown Pittsburgh, the words “Reduced Rates” above so many “For Lease” signs catch our attention. Our downtown feels worse, and it is worse. Shootings, public drug use and vagrancy have surged.

But so do other parts of the city and county: West End. Banksville. Duquesne. McKeesport.

We’re not here to tell you that Pittsburgh is Portland — it’s not. But in this November’s election, Allegheny County faces an inflection point.

No population gains since 2020, employment below what it was at the start of the pandemic, and air travel lower than it was four years ago. In non-Taylor Swift-concert months, visits to downtown are only about 70% of pre-government shutdown numbers. We’re told violent crime numbers are about the same year over year, yet the missing context is the same number of arrests with 30% fewer visitors and nearly 40% fewer office workers.

Longstanding institutions close one after another: Sammy’s, Weiner World, the bar in Strawberry Way right near where we just had another shooting on suffering Smithfield Street. And we all implicitly recognize our County’s airport isn’t being remodeled, it’s being downsized.

This is a collective failure — all of us own it. We have failed to attract new businesses and new population, and instead allowed conditions to deteriorate as people vote with their feet and swell into Butler and Washington counties.

Allegheny County’s crisis of confidence is real, and it’s a pressing matter across every part of our 700-plus square miles. That’s why we have a clear choice this November.

The Allegheny County executive race pits a self-identified progressive against a former PNC executive, the political newcomer Joe Rockey. County executive is the single most relevant position to our economic performance as a county. The executive submits a comprehensive fiscal plan, negotiates and signs contracts on behalf of the county, runs a $3 billion budget, and — maybe most importantly — appoints members to the various authorities (e.g., port, housing), commissions and boards whose decisions impact our daily lives so directly.

Looking back to the last election, the city of Pittsburgh and several other cities in our county elevated progressives into prominent roles. These individuals have not, will not and cannot execute an effective turnaround of our region. We all know that from experience and common sense, and they’ve also been clear that’s not their goal. At best, they’ll preside over a slightly more “equitable” decline, doling out favors and new programs as longtime residents continue to flee the county. We know they will not rein in crime, nor alleviate the conditions of poverty and despair that lead to widespread vagrancy in our region’s core.

We have evidence of that in Western Pennsylvania and painful evidence of the failure of progressive policies from around the country. That’s not just Fox News hype. The rise of non-prosecution agreements, lenient sentencing for property crimes and state-subsidized public vagrancy have been disastrous. We happen to live in an era where the consequences of our political choices present themselves rudely and with haste, and this election will be no different.

Yet let’s be careful not to nationalize this race. We don’t need cable news soundbites; we need to focus on our immediate economic and political future. We want to be extremely specific: What has happened to downtown Pittsburgh thanks to its progressive mayor has been a historic unforced error.

Look at a recent example. Last month, amid an increase in shootings and high-profile crime, the City of Pittsburgh announced a “Months of Peace and Nonviolence Initiative.” According to Mayor Ed Gainey’s office, this “holistic approach” to nonviolence involves “community-based plans to promote peace in the city,” and “shifts the focus from law enforcement.” The singular thrust of the program is events such as this month’s “Eradicate Hate Global Summit” and October’s “Violins of Hope Exhibit.”

Feel safer yet? This is the type of magical progressive thinking we have to get to the polls and vote against. We no longer have room for this type of indulgence; we need new headquarters, busy cranes, more jobs. Under progressive leadership our county can expect stagnation, experimental social policy, and suffering for the very people they purport to help.

We don’t have time for progressive experiments. Allegheny County needs to awaken now.

Joe Rockey wants to bring his considerable executive skills to the table in pursuit of improving our region. We should give him the chance. He said he wants to govern as a centrist, and we believe him. That’s not a claim his opponent is even pretending to make.

Again: Pittsburgh isn’t Portland, but we must still learn from the demonstrable civic failure of those cities. Let’s instead grow the region again.

Much is at stake in Allegheny County, our home, and there is much work to do. Let’s give Rockey a chance to do it.

Jason Killmeyer is a former candidate for the 17th Congressional District. Erin Koper is president of the Allegheny County Council of Republican Women.