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In the Democratic race for Allegheny County Chief Executive, drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale has become a bigger issue than either candidate probably wanted it to be.
County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty and former Allegheny County Council President Rich Fitzgerald have been fighting over which candidate is more in bed with the industry. They’ve sniped about plans to divvy up gas-drilling royalties, and Flaherty has embarrassed Fitzgerald by circulating an e-mail Fitzgerald sent earlier this year, begging the gas industry for campaign contributions.
No surprise, then, that as we first reported early this month, anti-drilling environmentalists see little difference bewteen the two Democrats.
That’s where Dana Dolney comes in.
In recent days, anti-drilling activists have been seeking to conduct a write-in effort to put one of their own on the ballot. And thanks largely to an internet video gone viral, Dolney is their pick.
“This has literally all happened in the past week,” Dolney said by phone this morning. “A lot of people didn’t even know my name, but they knew me from this viral video of me telling of an official at a public hearing and said, ‘We want her for county executive.'”
In the video — which has received more than 18,000 hits — a spokesman for Lieutenant Gov. Jim Cawley tries to explain why several protesters who had signed up to speak at a gathering were not permitted to do so. Dolney calmly challenges the spokesman, Chad Saylor, even as he mocks her for thinking “everything is a conspiracy.”
Dolney says that within the past week, people started asking her if they could write her name in.
“The mud-slinging had just gotten way out of control,” she says. “We need to make a statement that neither of these two people is a viable option.
“Our goal here is to show that there’s another side to this conversation. It’s not just about development and how to manage the golden goose of Marcellus Shale. I believe both of these individuals would be manipulated by the industry instead of looking out for the public’s health and safety.”
Dolney, a 38-year-old waitress “proudly” from Polish Hill, says she spends about 30 hours or more a week as a community organizer, activist and protester in the fight against natural-gas drilling.
Nor was her encounter with Sailor the first time she’s squared off with public officials. Dolney, who is working toward forming a “league of activist women,” says she’s spent quite a bit of time confronting political leaders.
“I was there protesting the governor on his very first day in office,” says Dolney. “Before he even took office, he said on his first day he would reverse the ban on [drilling in state forests]. If he wants to make that statement, then it’s my right to tell you that that’s not OK.
“We expect our elected officials to put our health and safety first, but they’re only concerned about the bottom line and filling budget shortfalls. If we don’t confront these people face-to-face on this then we are complicit in their bad decisions.”
Although it’s late in the game — the primary is tomorrow, after all — Dolney is hoping an online grassroots campaign can get the word out quick enough to post a significant number of votes. While her chances of victory seem non-existent, she says a couple of thousand write-in votes would send a powerful message to public officials.
In a campaign announcement she is currently drafting, Dolney writes the following:
Left with no choice between the two, as I myself can vote for neither, I will gladly take on the responsibility of getting the word out to the masses that we the people deserve better, and we will not vote for someone who only does the bidding of industry or only works for promotion of themselves.
Vote for me, this Tuesday as your write in County Executive vote, and I swear that I will put people and the good of people and the good of this beautiful state we still live in, first and foremost in my every deed.
This article appears in May 12-18, 2011.
I just wanted to make note that Dana Dolney deserves our vote, she is a tireless and uncompromised organizer in the projects that she has been involved with. She isn’t just a woman on a video – she is a respected leader and is good at what she does. Voting for anyone else is admitting that we don’t have a right to a representative government, because those two candidates represent corporate interests over the rights and interests of the people. Stand with Pittsburgh, and write in Dana Dolney for county executive.
As a member of the democratic party, i too find it unacceptable that we are left with nothing but another member of PA government that will keep us “held hostage by the corporations that are doing us more harm than good”
It is very evident that this industry is doing a lot of damage to water, air, land and the health and welfare of the citizens who are living in the areas where drilling for natural gas is being done. Rich Fitzerald falsely accused me of endorsing Mark Flagherty for the position of county executive in a recent PG article. I asked for them to retract the statement and never even received a phone call back. I will not endorse or vote for any person that will continue to give priority to the gas industry over the safety and well being of the citizens of our state. It is a statement and commitment that we as “marcellus shale protesters” have made to stop this industry from destroying any more of our rights in the name of corporate greed. I would advise anyone who disagrees with the way things are being done to join us in support of Dana Dolney, and let these officials know that we intend to see that our constitutional rights be upheld in the state of Pennsylvania.
Dana is an inspiration. Her intelligence, integrity and true stewardship stand in the side-by-side comparison with Sailor and she shines! This election is about representation, it is about quality of life, it is about the future of our state. Don’t bury your heads because the issue is so large and money and power seem are in the favor of a select few! Get educated, act, vote for Dana and others like her!
I’m a resident of Bucks County in the suburbs of Philly, where the Lietenent Governor made his mark. Cawley was and is the typical party hack and proverbial “yes-man” to his superiors, first Bucks County party boss Charley Martin, now Corbett and even more so, the gas companies. I applaud Dana and this is one guy who has my undying support in the wake of her smackdown of Saylor and her courageous and professional demeanor to raise national awareness of what’s going down here in the Keystone state. GO DANA!
THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT AND RAISING AWARENESS CONCERNING MARCELLUS SHALE AND THE FACT THAT OUR GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED TO PUT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL PENNSYLVANIANS FIRST AND FOREMOST IN THIS DEBATE. WE DESERVE A MORATORIUM.
NOW LET’S GET SOME MORE VOTES OUT TO SHOW THEM THAT WE MEAN BUSINESS! WE STILL HAVE A FEW HOURS TO GO.
IF THEY CANT RUN A DECENT CANDIDATE THAT PUTS THE PEOPLE FIRST, THEN WE WILL JUST RUN AN INDEPENDENT THAT WILL BEAT THEM ALL IN NOVEMBER!
JUST LOOK WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY DONE IN 48 HOURS. THEY WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LISTEN TO OUR VOICES.
CHEERS- DANA DOLNEY
Dana, all that is very well taken and pretty admirable if you ask me, but I’m curious of how someone like you responds when you hear the retort, “You want to talk about putting people first?? People need and are crying out for JOBS and MORE JOBS and a vibrant ECONOMY. Let’s not paralyze ourselves with fear like some drilling is going to kill us all.”
Bravo! Bravo, Dana!
Money talks … but so do great, caring citizens like Dana Dolney.
dana, i shared this article on my fb and emplored my PA fb friends to support you. somehow i knew that when i started reading this i would know somebody in the article. good luck and i wish i could vote for you.
john reoli