Inclusive Leadership in Action: How the All In Alleghany Initiative Is Engaging Communities to Drive Change

Collaborative governance—or “co-governance”—offers a model for shifting power to ordinary people and rebuilding their trust in government. Co-governance models break down the boundaries between people inside and outside government, allowing community residents and elected officials to work together to design policy and share decision-making power. Cities around the world are experimenting with new forms of co-governance, from New York City’s participatory budgeting process to Paris’s adoption of a permanent citizens’ assembly. More than a one-off transaction or call for public input, successful models of co-governance empower everyday people to participate in the political process in an ongoing way. Co-governance has the potential to revitalize civic engagement, create more responsive and equitable structures for governing, and build channels for Black, brown, rural, and tribal communities to impact policy-making.

Still, co-governance models are not without challenges. The hierarchical and ineffective nature of our current governing structure is difficult to transform. Effective collaboration between communities and politicians requires building lasting relationships that overcome deep distrust in government. So far, effective models of co-governance tend to be local and community-specific—making it critical that we share stories of success and brainstorm ways to scale.

In this series, we share stories of co-governance in practice. For this interview, New America’s Hollie Russon Gilman and Sarah Jacob spoke with Sara Innamorato about the county-wide and collaborative effort of All In Allegheny.

Sara Innamorato serves as County Executive for Allegheny County. Her administration is leading the path forward to the most inclusive community engagement effort in Allegheny County history, All In Allegheny. This initiative invites residents from all parts of the community to share their needs, ideas, and priorities with the Innamorato Administration, shaping a collaborative governance-forward policy future. The All In Allegheny initiative is split into the following policy committees: Healthy Families and High-Quality Services; Housing for All; Open and Accessible Government; Robust Education, Workforce Development, Youth Investments; Reliable, Modern Transportation and Infrastructure; Safe Communities and Justice for All; Strong and Equitable Economic and Community Development; Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and a Green Economy; and a Vibrant Democracy. The transition committee consists of community organizers, local employers, academics, and government officials.

Can you share more about your position in office and how you’re thinking about the All In Allegheny County transition?

As County Executive, I am the youngest and the first woman to serve in this role. The County Executive oversees 19 different departments within county government, and we also appoint executive directors and board members for various authorities like Pittsburgh Regional Transit and the county airport. While most of these authorities operate independently, only the community college and Pittsburgh Regional Transit receive county funds as part of their budgets. We employ around 5,000 people, and our annual budget from tax collections is approximately $1 billion. However, when you factor in additional funding sources like block grants and outside contributions, it totals about $3 billion.

Our largest department is the Department of Human Services (DHS), which employs around 1,200 people and has a budget of over $1.3 billion, including federal and state funds. While the County Executive role often highlights economic development, most of our county’s money is actually spent on human services and health. We’re working to bring this fact into conversations about economic development, particularly when collaborating with the mayor’s office. For example, revitalizing downtown can’t just focus on buildings—we also need to care for the unhoused population, which is a human services issue, not just a criminal or infrastructure challenge.

The Allegheny County Executive role has been considered the third most powerful role in the state, after the governor and the mayor of Philadelphia. Allegheny County has a population of around 1.25 million, and a significant part of my role involves explaining the position. While many people think of it more like a county manager role, I describe it as being the “mayor of the county.”

One key power of the executive is the ability to convene people and organizations. Many people don’t realize how much the county oversees or the scale of our operations. We’re the link between municipalities—like Pittsburgh, which has a population of about 302,000—and the 1.25 million in the rest of the county, the majority of whom live in suburban or smaller municipalities. We’re also the bridge between local governments and state and federal partners.

When I came into office, I wanted to set the tone that county government would operate and communicate differently, which is why we centered community engagement around the transition process. During the campaign, I talked about building an “Allegheny County for All.” Our transition process was the first test of putting this mission into practice.

Who are you engaging with in this transition?

Our transition was the largest, most inclusive, and most diverse that the county had ever seen. We know that no process is perfect, but we did a lot to bring people together across industries, identities, and geographies. We made sure our transition committee reflected the diversity of Allegheny County, not just including those who are politically aligned. We included Republicans, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We ensured racial and ethnic diversity, especially given that Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh, in particular, are traditionally predominantly white. However, we’re seeing growth in the Latino population and other communities, so we wanted to ensure they also had a seat at the table.

The transition process resulted in a 91-point action plan, which we’ve taken forward. We paired the co-chairs of the transition committee with our county government bureaucrats and civil servants to be both bold and pragmatic in implementing these goals. These 91 points represent a down payment to the people of Allegheny County on what they can expect from our administration and what it means to build a county for all.

Internally, we’ve been working hard to connect county departments together, and Leah Friedman has been leading this effort within the executive office. We’ve ensured that all county departments know which part of the plan they own, what they’re leading, and who’s helping with each initiative. A major goal is to break down silos in county government, because people don’t care if an issue falls under human services, the health department, or economic development—they just want safe communities, affordable housing, and a strong democracy. So we’ve framed initiatives around values that are easily digestible, and we’ve been very focused on human-centered approaches.

Can you provide more insight into some of the initiatives that the committee is working on?

One early success has been in areas where external organizations are already well-organized, like the Pittsburgh and Southwest Pennsylvania Housing Justice Coalition Table. We’ve also hired the county’s first-ever director of housing, who sits in the executive office. This role transcends departments, using resources from all areas to deliver on the vision of safe, affordable, and attainable housing for everyone in Allegheny County. Our director has been able to work with a diverse group, including those from the Housing Justice Coalition Table, legal aid, and private developers. These participants understand that their inroads to the county are through our director of housing.

Another key initiative has been the 500 in 500 plan, which aims to bring 500 affordable housing units online in 500 days. We’re working with developers who have empty units to subsidize them for people in our shelter system and purchasing market-rate properties like hotels and senior living facilities to convert them into housing. We’re also collaborating with housing authorities to bring previously offline units back online, modernize them, and streamline bureaucracy to maximize the usage of housing vouchers.

This comprehensive housing effort was informed by those working on housing and homelessness. We’ve co-designed this initiative with the DHS, our economic development team, and external housing authorities. We keep the Housing Justice Coalition Table informed so they can see our progress, stay involved in the process, and help promote the work we’re doing.

How are you navigating the use of technology versus in-person engagement for the transition in terms of equity?

When designing opportunities for people to engage during the transition, we took a multifaceted approach. We held both in-person and Zoom meetings with the transition committee. Once the survey that they co-designed was made available online, the committee members shared it through their organizations. We also valued and focused heavily on in-person engagement. Although costly, it was also essential for us to hold four in-person events that offered child care, food, and transportation to remove barriers to participation. We also made these events geographically diverse, dividing the county into regions to target outreach.

To reach seniors, we visited senior centers, printed hard copies of the survey, and trained staff to assist residents with understanding and completing the surveys. We also brought paper copies to the county jail, receiving hundreds of responses from incarcerated individuals. In our largest shelter, we left both QR codes and paper copies for residents, many of whom were able to use their own smartphones. We even held one Zoom event, which was requested by people who preferred not to attend in-person meetings. To maximize participation, we held events during evenings and weekends.

We also had a door-knocking campaign focused on analyzing the demographics of survey respondents. Even if the survey was well designed and community informed, it wouldn’t have been useful without a diverse and proportional set of responses. Our goal was to ensure that the survey responses reflected the diversity of Allegheny County. This goal required us to adapt along the way. When we saw that the Black community was underrepresented, we knocked on doors in majority-Black neighborhoods to increase response rates among this demographic. When we noticed fewer responses from young people, we partnered with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund. I had the chance to attend some of their teen nights and speak directly with teens, including those currently or formerly experiencing homelessness.

What were the challenges and successes of this implementation?

A well-executed transition process is expensive. It costs a lot of money to do it right. We’re still fundraising for it, but the costs are high—hiring consultants, running community events, compensating people for their time, and getting the necessary technology. Funders need to understand that these are crucial investments for relationship-building that set up an administration for long-term success. Deep relationships with key stakeholders, the community, and individual residents makes governing smoother and gives executives, especially those trying to change the system and do things for the first time, a level of grace they might not otherwise receive.

In my case, as the youngest person and the first woman in this position, I went through a brutal campaign. Millions were spent against me, and I won by three points. Progressives also often face a lot of opposition when running. Going through a comprehensive transition like this can be challenging but allows you to come into office and prove you’re competent in governing. It shows you’re willing to build relationships with everyone while also being bold and pragmatic in your implementation.

This kind of investment to reach people is essential because it enables us to deliver on shared values. It’s not enough to just talk about it or put out statements. Executive orders have limitations, but creating policies, programs, and investments that center racial, economic, and social justice—these are how we operationalize our values. And it’s very expensive to make that happen.

How are you utilizing data as both a tool for education, but also accountability?

We’ve put accountability measures in place for ourselves to ensure the community process doesn’t end when the meetings or surveys are over. We’ve been transparent about the responses we’ve received so others can use the data to understand what Allegheny County residents are thinking about. We have a raw, open dataset on the Western PA Data Center, and we’ve also created a dashboard that shares some of the results. We’ve also launched a tracker that will show where we are in the action plan so people can see our progress. Accountability is crucial to ensuring the work continues.

We’re also launching a budget tool. This will allow residents to interact with the county budget in a way that’s much easier to understand than the current comprehensive fiscal plan, which is a 100-page document that is dense and hard to navigate. In the past, each department held budget meetings, but no one attended because there wasn’t much intention behind getting people involved. Now, this tool will help us engage residents in sharing their values and priorities for county government.

This tool will also contribute to the county’s first comprehensive plan in nearly 15 years. We’re building on the relationships and trust we’ve developed during the transition process, which will help us create a strong strategic vision for the county. While the action plan gives us specific tasks to complete, we also need a long-term vision for our region. Elected officials often think only in terms of their short-term goals—like getting reelected—but we’re trying to look beyond that. We’re considering how the decisions we make today will impact the county 10, 20, or even 25 years from now.

We’re trying to balance immediate wins with a focus on the future. Part of this includes our first-ever climate action plan, which we’re currently working on with the community. This type of transition is setting us up for long-term success by enabling us to develop key documents—like strategic plans and climate action plans—that are often overlooked or done superficially in government, but that are critical for deploying innovative strategies over the long term.

We would like to thank Leah Friedman and Abigail Gardner for their incredibly helpful comments and editing support. Thank you also to Kelley Gardner and Jodi Narde for communications support. This would not have been possible without them.