Allegheny County Council Meeting: Ceasefire Resolution Fails; Public Comment Overwhelms – March 5, 2024

Allegheny County Council held its regular meeting on March 5, 2024, with 14 members present and one absent. The meeting opened with proclamations, moved to shorten public comment to one minute after 279 people signed up, heard hours of testimony dominated by the ceasefire resolution, referred new ordinances to committees, and concluded by voting down the ceasefire resolution. No written agenda or minutes were included in the source material.

Consent Calendar

• Council proclaimed the week of March 3–9, 2024 as Women in Construction Week (Proclamation 12948-24). Sherry Thomas, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction, and Amanda Kraft accepted. Thomas said the 2024 theme is “keys to the future” and promoted Camp NAWIC, a free week-long camp for girls in grades 8–12, to be held June 24–28, 2024.
• Council read a proclamation (12949-24) recognizing John Burnett’s 42-year television career and his community service.

Procedural Motion: Public Comment Time Limit

• Council considered Motion 12950-24, setting time limits for public comment at the March 5, 2024 meeting. President Katina said 279 individuals had signed up, all agenda-item comments pertained to the ceasefire motion, and three minutes each would create roughly 14 hours of testimony. He proposed shortening the limit to one minute as the fairest way to hear the most speakers. Councilman Betkowski said “the first casualty of war is the truth” and that no testimony would change minds. The motion passed 12–2, with Councilmembers Grisbeck and Hallum voting no and one member absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Hundreds of residents spoke under strict rules: one minute per speaker, no applause or heckling, no ceding time, and names called from posted lists. Speakers who were not present when called forfeited their turn; non-residents who had not signed up 24 hours in advance were not permitted to speak. Two recesses were taken to manage overflow rooms and audio issues.
• The overwhelming majority of public comment addressed the ceasefire motion. Supporters—including Palestinian Americans, Jews, union members, health care workers, students, clergy, and local officials—urged an immediate and permanent ceasefire. They argued that more than 30,000 Palestinians, including over 12,000 or 13,000 children, had been killed; that hospitals, schools, and universities were destroyed; that Gaza faced starvation and displacement of about two million people; that U.S. tax dollars funded the campaign; and that County Council had already taken a position on Israel/Palestine with its October 24 resolution. Several said a ceasefire was necessary to free the remaining Israeli hostages and cited previous releases through negotiated pauses. Multiple Jewish speakers said opposing Israeli policy was not anti-Semitic and that Jewish safety required ending the killing.
• Opponents—including representatives of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, synagogues, Jewish communal groups, Holocaust survivor descendants, and other residents—urged Council to vote no. They argued that Hamas broke the existing ceasefire on October 7, committed rape and murder, still held hostages, repeatedly rejected ceasefire offers, used Palestinian civilians as human shields, and that the resolution omitted Hamas and falsely equated hostages with convicted Palestinian prisoners. They called the measure outside County Council’s purview, symbolically ineffective, divisive, and harmful to the local Jewish community. Some also contended the ICJ did not find Israel guilty of genocide. One opponent quoted a former Jerusalem mayor’s “spare me your sermons and I will fix your sewers” to urge local focus.
• Councilmember Hallam later stated that public commenters had shown up 138 to 71 in favor of the ceasefire, and she said this was the second consecutive meeting with overwhelming public support.

New Business and Ordinance Referrals

• Unfinished business 12915-24, amending the Administrative Code regarding the Chief Assessment Officer position to ensure continuity, was read and referred back to the Committee on Assessment Practices.
• 12951-24, extending the county real estate tax discount deadline from March 31, 2024 to April 30, 2024, and the May 1, 2024 deadline to May 31, 2024, was referred to Business, Budget, and Finance.
• 12952-24, requiring a complete streets plan by December 31, 2024, was referred to the Committee on Economic Development.
• 12953-24, creating a new Chapter 572 on litter enforcement, was referred to Sustainability and Green Initiatives.
• 12954-24, amending the 2024 grants and special accounts budget, submission 1-24, was referred to Budget and Finance.

Ceasefire Resolution 1295-24

• Council took up Motion 1295-24, sponsored by Councilmembers Hallam, Pritzio, and Grisbeck, urging the U.S. federal government to work cooperatively toward an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and Palestine and the release of all hostages.
• During discussion, Councilman Bonarotti called the situation tragic and said a diplomatic solution was needed, but he abstained. Councilman DeMarco said Council lacked geopolitical expertise and noted Hamas had rejected ceasefire offers. Councilman Fatulis said he wanted world peace but would not support a resolution naming one country or religion. Councilman Macy cited local issues and said any vote would draw accusations of genocide or anti-Semitism. Councilwoman Nakarati Chapkis said her district was divided, she was horrified by civilian deaths, and she abstained. Councilman Klein said the Jewish community’s fear of anti-Semitism was real and that the crisis called for real action, not symbolic gestures. Councilwoman Filiachi and Councilman Palmasina said they felt the pain of the issue but made no further comments.
• Councilman Grisbeck spoke at length in support, saying the motion called for a bilateral ceasefire, release of hostages, and humanitarian aid; that Council had previously weighed in on foreign policy; and that the resolution was not anti-Semitic. Councilwoman Hallum apologized for a since-deleted October 7 social media post, said she had since researched the conflict, called the situation genocide, and said abstaining was cowardly. Councilwoman Pritzio said she refused to be complicit in the humanitarian catastrophe and supported the motion. President Katina said democracy was in action, acknowledged the divisiveness, and urged residents to keep talking to each other.

Key Outcomes

• Motion 12950-24 passed 12–2.
• Ceasefire Motion 1295-24 failed: 3 yes, 9 no, 2 abstentions, 1 absent. Councilmembers Grisbeck, Hallum, and Pritzio voted yes; Bonarotti and Nakarati Chapkis abstained; Councilmember Walton was absent.
• The Chief Assessment Officer ordinance was referred back to committee; four new ordinances/resolutions were referred to their respective committees.
• The meeting adjourned after the vote, with audience members chanting “cease fire now.”