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Longtime Allegheny County Councilman passes away

Allegheny County Councilman Charles Martoni of District 8 at the Allegheny County Courthouse on Sept. 23, 2014.

Source: Triblive.com

PITTSBURGH — A member of the Allegheny County Council has died. Dr. Charles Martoni represented District 8.

Governor Tom Wolf has ordered commonwealth flags at all commonwealth facilities in Allegheny County to fly at half-staff in honor of Martoni on Friday. That is the scheduled day of his funeral.

Allegheny Controller Chelsa Wagner issued a statement on Martoni’s passing:

“My deepest sympathies go out to Dr. Martoni’s family, friends, colleagues and constituents. Chuck was a steady hand through Allegheny County’s transition to a new form of government, and a constant champion for our young people through his work on Council, and especially through his decades of commitment to the Community College of Allegheny County. He will be missed by many but has left a lasting legacy for our residents.”

County Executive Rich Fitzgerald issued a statement as well, calling Martoni’s death “a difficult loss”:

“This is a difficult loss. Chuck served this community so well for decades – as a member of the school board, as a councilman and mayor in Swissvale, and as a charter member of County Council. Over the last few months, Chuck battled health issues with the same strength and perseverance as he did in his earlier career as a great athlete in the wrestling ring.

His judgment, temperament and knowledge of government was invaluable to all of us who first served on County Council, many serving in government for the first time. Chuck was a mentor and supporter of mine. He is someone that I always valued as a great example to follow. He was one of those folks who was respected on both sides of the aisle and across the region. His belief in local government was extraordinary and could be seen in his work with other municipalities and organizations like the Allegheny League of Municipalities and the Local Government Academy.

"Chuck also believed that higher education was a pathway to success and that education should be available to everyone in the community. He was not only one of the founding members of Community College of Allegheny County, but spent his life working at this great institution because of his belief in its value. It’s just one more great contribution that he made to this region.

Chuck was always, at his heart, a guy from Swissvale working on behalf of the residents of Swissvale, Braddock and working people from across the Mon Valley. It was in his heart and his DNA. He will be sorely missed.”