Press Releases

“Today’s Supreme Court decision allows the people–the real stakeholders of UPMC–to have their voices heard. I commend Attorney General Shapiro for his leadership and perseverance. "This is an important victory against UPMC’s unconscionable actions in denying care to our residents and attempting to silence the very people who fund their operation. "Earlier today, when I […]

(Pittsburgh) May 8, 2019 Rather than soliciting public bids for most large purchases, Allegheny County relies on alternative purchasing methods not subject to transparency measures and which don’t guarantee the best prices, an audit by County Controller Chelsa Wagner found. While the County’s Administrative Code requires a public bid process for purchases over $30,000, and […]

(Pittsburgh) February 22, 2019 “Charities don’t usually take governments to court when government demands that all citizens have equal access to that charity’s services. But we have seen this story before. UPMC used the same tactic when the City of Pittsburgh challenged its tax-exempt status in 2013, a suit which was later dropped. “While being […]

“The news that members of the Pennsylvania State Police officers union willbecome ‘out-of-network’ for care at UPMC shows what UPMC really thinks ofworking families. These state troopers and many other union families rely onHighmark coverage that will no longer be accepted by UPMC doctors and hospitalsafter June 30. For UPMC to force the state police […]

(Pittsburgh) February 7, 2019 “The actions announced by Attorney General Shapiro today are major steps toward ending the predatory behavior of UPMC, and I commend him for his political courage in pursuing this matter into the courts. I believe this has occurred in large part thanks to our citizens raising their voices to demand action, […]

(Pittsburgh) February 1, 2019 “The charges filed by Attorney General Josh Shapiro today against the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority are a long-awaited acknowledgement of the negligence and delay that marked the initial response to Pittsburgh’s lead crisis, which continues for many families even to this day. Beginning in March 2017, I called for the […]

(Pittsburgh) December 21, 2018 Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner today released results of her office’s annual review of “street pricing” by businesses within Pittsburgh International Airport’s AIRMALL. The lease between the Airport Authority and the AIRMALL operator requires that its concessionaires not charge prices higher than those of comparable businesses outside the Airport. The County […]

“When every Allegheny County driver saw their vehicle registration fee rise by $5 two years ago, they expected that to result in safer roads and bridges. But we have seen cost overruns that could well have been prevented through due diligence by the County burn through this amount and more.” MEDIA CONTACT: Lou Takacs, Communications […]

(Pittsburgh) November 15, 2018 “We may never truly know whether the taxincentives proposed as part of Pittsburgh’s Amazon bid would have resulted ingreater costs or benefits for our residents. But today’s belated release of theproposal should begin a much-needed dialogue on the desirability and potentialfor effectiveness of this type of economic development strategy. We should […]

(Pittsburgh) November 13, 2018 “The end of the competition for Amazon’s HQ2 should also mark the end of the secrecy surrounding the Pittsburgh region’s bid, which should be released immediately. The City and County have resisted multiple administrative and court rulings ordering the release of their proposal, claiming that compliance with Pennsylvania’s Right to Know […]