Onorato practiced as a private attorney until he was elected to the Pittsburgh City Council in 1991,when he defeated District 1 incumbent Bernard J. Regan in the primary election.[6] He served two terms on the council before being elected Allegheny County Controller in 2000. In 2003,he defeated Jim Roddey for the position of Allegheny County executive. He was named runner up for the 2003 Politician of the Year by the political website PoliticsPA,who noted his youthful energy and his fundraising power.[7]
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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] Onorato subsequently withheld the funds raised by the drink tax from the Port Authority,demanding that the transit agency first restructure its labor costs.[11]
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."[12]
A large part of his loss resulted from his role in US Airways 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 airport.
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