Jim Roddey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James C. "Jim" Roddey (b. 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 also a former United States Marine. Following his time as Chief Executive, he became an appointed member of Pittsbugh's fiscal oversight board, but resigned in February 2005. He is a Republican.

Jim Roddey is originally from Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas with a degree in Speech. (He moved to Pittsburgh in 1979.)

During his extensive business life he served on the boards of many companies and organizations, including Turner Communication Corp, Rollins Communication Corp, and others. He is the Emeritus Trustee of the University of Pittsburgh and has received three honorary doctorate from various institutions.

[edit] County Executive

Prior to 2000, Allegheny County was governed by a group of three commissioners. In 1998, Roddey was heavily involved in a successful campaign to replace that system (via a referendum) to a new system composed of a single Chief Executive and a 15-member County Council.

Roddey argued that this would more evenly distribute representation as the previous system tended to have commissioners predominantly from Pittsburgh, rather than other towns and communities in the county. (Pittsburgh is the county seat and by far the largest population center in the county, but still with only 26% of the county population in the city-proper.)

In 1999, the first election was held for the new Chief Executive and County Council. Roddy won his race against Democrat (and "celebrity" coroner) Cyril Wecht, although Democrats won the majority of the seats on the new Council. This led to friction during his term in office.

During his term, Roddey was able to reverse the county's financial crisis through a property value reassessment which increased the value of many homes in the county by 5%-- a legal maximum. This increase in tax revenue was not popular, but it did succeed in cutting the defecit.

In 2003, Roddey ran for re-relection but lost to Dan Onorato. In interviews, he credits the re-assessments as leading to his decline in popularity.