Bethany Hallam

Bethany is a formerly incarcerated person in long-term recovery from opioid use disorder. In 2019, she beat a 20-year incumbent to become the youngest person ever elected county-wide in Allegheny County, representing 1.2 million people. In Bethany's first term, she fought for fair pay for county employees and won paid sick leave for everyone in Allegheny County. She helped pass a fracking ban in county parks and increased funding for lead remediation in homes. Bethany created a civilian police review board and passed a conversion therapy ban. She championed the effort to amend the budget to give additional funding to community colleges and the Housing Court Help Desk.

If elected to a second term, Bethany hopes to institute a $20/hr minimum wage for county employees, achieve funding parity for the public defenders and district attorneys offices, increase access to and the reliability of public transportation, and implement tenants’ rights to counsel. She plans to continue being an unapologetic voice against the violence perpetuated by the criminal legal system and the Allegheny County Jail, and will continue the first of its kind $100 monthly stipend for incarcerated individuals, which she implemented in early 2020 to help them afford phone calls with their families and purchase hygiene products and other necessities from commissary.