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1 Allegheny County Councilman Faces Primary Challenge For Reelection

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pennsylvania's primary election is just one week from Tuesday.

While six Allegheny County Council districts will elect council members this year, only one district features a primary challenge against an incumbent.

For many years, Allegheny County Council has been called a rubber stamp for the county executive, an unimportant office ignored by most voters. But now County Council is engaged in lots of public policy issues.

"I've been very successful in helping people in the Mon Valley, my constituents as well as the businesses," Councilman Bob Macey tells KDKA political editor Jon Delano.

For nearly 16 years, Macey, a former steelworker-turned-credit manager from West Mifflin, has represented the Mon Valley on County Council, a district that stretches along the Mon River from North Versailles to Forward Township.

"My history, my experience, my dedication and my knowledge of how the system works is going to help us through the next four years and certainly going to make a difference," says Macey, a Democrat.

While Macey stresses his experience and knowledge of the district, his Democratic primary challenger, Steven Singer, highlights his liberal progressive roots.

"I've been involved in activism and politics for quite a while," says Singer.

Singer, a White Oak resident who teaches language arts in the Steel Valley School District, says the Mon Valley deserves better.

"We've been underserved and ignored for far too long. This area has been kind of forgotten by the rest of the county, and we're still here," says Singer.

Endorsed by a number of liberal organizations, Singer promises to be a fighter.

"We deserve someone who's going to fight for the things that we need – who's going to fight for public transportation, who's going to fight for education, who's going to fight for renewable energy, who's going to fight for criminal justice reform," says Singer.

Macey says he's like most residents in the Mon Valley with a focus on jobs, housing and economic development.

"We're about tradition," says Macey. "We're more about doing things to help people and not about social issues. Not that they're not important. Social issues will be taken care of, but we have some very meaty – meat and potatoes type of issues that have to be done."

Mon Valley Democrats will decide on May 18 which kind of councilman they favor.

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