Daniel Onorato (born February 5, 1961) is an American Democratic politician from the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He served as the

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Allegheny County from 2004 to 2012, and in 2010, he was the Democratic nominee for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. He lost to

State Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney gener ...

Tom Corbett Thomas Wingett Corbett Jr. (born June 17, 1949) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 46th governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1995 t ...

in the general election. Onorato is currently the chief corporate affairs officer at Highmark Health.

Early life, education and family

A life-long resident of Allegheny County, Onorato attended Penn State University, where he earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in accounting in 1983. He worked several years as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) before continuing his

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

at the

University of Pittsburgh School of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) was founded in 1895. It became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900. Its primary home facility is the Barco Law Building. The school offers four degrees: Master ...

, earning a Juris Doctor in 1989. Onorato and his wife Shelly reside in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

's Brighton Heights neighborhood with their children: Kate, Emily, and Danny. In 2012, Onorato began working for Highmark, where he is the vice president of corporate communications and external affairs.

Political career

Onorato practiced as a private attorney until he was elected to the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts. The city operates under a mayor-council syst ...

in 1991, when he defeated District 1 incumbent Bernard J. Regan in the primary election. He served two terms on the council before being elected Allegheny County Controller in 2000. In 2003, he defeated

Jim Roddey James C. Roddey (born 1935) is a Pennsylvania businessman and politician best known as the former (and first) chief executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2004. He is a Republican and was the chair of the Republican Committee o ...

for the position of Allegheny County executive. He was named runner up for the 2003 Politician of the Year by the political website

PoliticsPA PoliticsPA.com is a website centered on the politics of Pennsylvania. Content The website reports on political and campaign news in Pennsylvania, from the state legislature up to federal races. The editors write occasional features, like the we ...

, who noted his youthful energy and his fundraising power.

Allegheny County drink tax controversy

In late 2007 Allegheny County received permission from the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pursue increased taxation of poured alcohol and rental cars to subsidize the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Members of the Allegheny County Council and Onorato believed that such a tax was preferable to increasing county property taxes. After the 10% tax on poured alcohol passed, Allegheny County bar and restaurant owners protested the new tax, claiming that it would hurt that business. Courts threw out a lawsuit by bar and restaurant owners challenging the legality of the drink tax, but the litigants sought a referendum overturning the tax in the November 2008 general election. Onorato subsequently withheld the funds raised by the drink tax from the Port Authority, demanding that the transit agency first restructure its labor costs.

2008 presidential election

He announced his endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton in her 2008 presidential bid on March 14, 2008, saying, "Hillary Clinton has the experience and the determination to clean up the mess in Washington and deliver results."

2010 gubernatorial campaign

Onorato won the Democratic nomination in the 2010 election for Governor of Pennsylvania on May 18, 2010.
/ref> Onorato had more than $4 million for a campaign left over from his re-election bid. He also received media attention when the G-20 Summit was held in Pittsburgh. He defeated State Senator Anthony Williams,

Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Freq ...

Jack Wagner, and Montgomery County Commissioner

Joe Hoeffel Joseph Merrill Hoeffel III ( ; born September 3, 1950) is an American author and politician. A Democrat, Hoeffel was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005, representing Pennsylvania's 13th congressional dist ...

. He was defeated by Republican

in the general election with 45.5% to 54.5% of the vote, and lost his home county. A large part of his loss resulted from his role in

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon ...

leaving Pittsburgh for Charlotte, leading to a direct loss of 12,000 jobs in the Pittsburgh area, and an indirect loss estimate of 50,000 jobs. The County's taxation of passengers to pay down airport debt under Onorato's lead as County Executive left US Airways in a difficult competitive pricing disadvantage compared to other airlines and hubs. Onorato called US Airways CEO Doug Parker's 'bluff' to utilize a contractual agreement to cancel leases, and US Airways ultimately wound down hub operations at the airpor

References

External links

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Onorato, Dan 1961 births Living people Politicians from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Democrats Pittsburgh City Council members American accountants Candidates in the 2010 United States elections 21st-century American politicians County executives in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Smeal College of Business alumni University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni