Allegheny County Councilman Michael Finnerty, a Democrat from Scott, won his second term on council on Tuesday, easily defeating his challenger, Republican Dean Petrone of North Fayette.

Mr. Finnerty, 64, who represents council's District 4, said he emerged victorious because of his campaign message -- to continue the economic and infrastructure development that the county has embarked on since County Executive Dan Onorato took office in 2004.

Mr. Finnerty was union president at Chartiers Valley High School, where he was a reading specialist and also coached football, basketball and track for 30 years. He said his objective is to continue to make Allegheny County attractive to homeowners and businesses.

Mr. Petrone, 40, a partner in Muninn Group Inc., an small industrial and commercial automation firm in Collier, was making his first run for public office. He accused Mr. Finnerty of being out of touch with the concerns of residents in the district, which covers a number of municipalities. Mr. Petrone could not be reached for comment.

On Tuesday, Mr. Finnerty carried the day with an 11-point margin over Mr. Petrone.

And as chairman of council's Economic Development and Housing Committee, Mr. Finnerty returns to join members in the midst of finalizing Mr. Onorato's 2010 budget proposal.

As they do that, Mr. Finnerty said he hopes to see a more strident council shaping the agenda of the day, where it has been seen as a docile follower of Mr. Onorato's policy initiatives in years past.

"We support the administration because they have the right policies and projects. But going forward, I would like to see a stronger role for County Council," he said.

The district includes Bridgeville, Carnegie, Collier, Crafton, Findlay, Glenfield, Heidelberg, Kennedy, McKees Rocks, Neville, North Fayette, Oakdale, Glen Osborne, Robinson, Rosslyn Farms, Scott and Stowe.

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