2023 Progress Update

Since taking office in 2020, I have sponsored 13 ordinances that have become law while supporting and working on countless other projects and serving on the Jail Oversight Board as the Council President’s designee. Note that a Countywide County Councilor, I have no personal government staff. I share 3 staffers with 14 other councilors, 13 of whom represent districts. Council’s yearly stipend is $10,939. I work full-time as a Director of Operations at a small-business hub in Wilkinsburg and attend Duquesne law school at night. Much of the policy advocacy and work that I do relies on volunteers and contributions to hire campaign-side policy staff. (You can donate at bethanyhallam.com)

There’s still so much work to be done. You can read an updated version of my platform and priorities at:

But I also wanted to take a moment to discuss why the work related to justice is so important, even to those who express that they do not care. Our jail impacts all of us. It is one of the County’s greatest liabilities, not only morally but also financially. If you don’t care about people, care about your taxes.

The Jail Oversight Board has historically failed to fulfill its duties, resulting in deaths, lawsuits, contract-related grift, and tax-payer funded lawsuit settlements. Bethany represents the County Council President on the board.

The per-person per-day cost of our jail is $106.94 as of 2018. That’s $39,033.10 in taxpayer funding for every person every year who is wrongfully incarcerated or not given the mental health support they need. These statistics are based on reports from the Fitzgerald administration and do not include settlements or more recent costs related to improper contracts.