Why the Federated Pittsburgh Plan Failed to Carry: Defeated Plan to Be Resubmitted
The American City. Vol. 38,
August 1929. p.150.
Official
figures now available confirm the defeat in Allegheny County, Pa., on June 25,
as reported on the basis of unofficial returns in the July number of The
American City, of the regional government charter under which would have
been set up a city of 122 municipalities, opening on a federated plan. Because of the widespread interest in the
proposed metropolitan city of Pittsburgh, the following statement of facts is
submitted by Joseph T. Miller, Chairman of The Metropolitan Plan Commission for
Allegheny County:
“The
charter was not adopted, by reason of the unusual and peculiar conditions
inserted in the constitutional amendment by the opponents of the idea during
consideration of the constitutional amendment in the Legislature. This requirement was that in order to be
accepted by the people, the charter had to be approved in a twofold way. First it had to carry in the county at large
by a majority vote, and second, and in addition to that, it must carry a
majority of municipalities (or sixty-two) by not less than two favorable votes
to every negative vote. Notwithstanding
the fact that the charter received in the county a majority of 46,834 votes,
and notwithstanding the fact that it carried eighty-four municipalities by a
majority vote, it won in only forty-nine municipalities by a vote of two to one
or better. Only thirty-seven
municipalities were against it by a majority vote, and in one municipality the
vote was a tie.
“Although
The American City has on several occasions made reference to this unique
proposal for a metropolitan form of government, you may wish to publish as a
matter of record the following brief summary of what has happened during the
last six years:
“In
1923, after a long struggle between the annexationists and the
anti-annexationists, the Legislature of Pennsylvania first authorized a
Commission to be appointed by the governor of the state to study the subject of
municipal consolidation within Allegheny County. This Commission was appointed in 1924 and has made a report of
its work to the several Legislatures since that date and in each instance has
been continued by the Legislature for successive terms of two years.
“As
a result of its labors in the year 1928, an amendment to the constitution of
the state of Pennsylvania was adopted by the people of the state which provides
for a new form of county government to take care of metropolitan necessities by
taking the existing county government, establishing it as the legislative and
administrative head of a federated city of smaller units, giving it broader
powers and yet leaving the local municipalities supreme in their own individual
sphere. It was stated in the amendment
that the Legislature might offer to the people of Allegheny County a charter
under which these results could be obtained, provided certain safeguards to
local self-government were written into the charter which would guarantee each
municipality its own continued existence, the sanctity of its boundaries and
the right of local self-government in local affairs.
“Following
the adoption of this amendment to the constitution, the Commission prepared a
tentative charter and submitted it to the Legislature. It consisted of twenty-three articles. After many weeks of conferences and
discussions the Legislature finally passed the charter in an amended form,
having dropped eight sections of the original charter and rewritten two. These amendments were made by men of the
highest legal ability and were adopted in order to reconcile conflicting
opinions and influences. The
Commission, believing the charter as amended by the Legislature to be a
tremendous forward step over existing conditions, and knowing that it
accomplished every purpose that had been originally intended, gave to the
charter its fullest support, notwithstanding that many of the idealistic
features submitted by the Commission had been eliminated during passage through
the Legislature. The Legislature set
June 25 as the date for a special election in Allegheny County on the
charter. A six-week intensive campaign
was conducted. The result has already
been stated.
“The
constitutional amendment itself provided that should the charter fail after
submission by the Legislature, it can be resubmitted in original, new or
modified form. It is the present
intention of the Metropolitan Plan Commission to secure this resubmission in
the original form at as early a date as the situation will permit. To present it in new or modified form would
delay action until after the spring of 1931, the Legislature not meeting again
until that year.
Back to: A Primer on Regionalism and Fragmentation in the Pittsburgh Region