Until a year ago, Dean Petrone had no interest in politics, much less the machinations of Allegheny County government and the politics of Grant Street.

At 40, he was content, he said, with his relatively successful and growing electrical engineering career and raising his two children -- a daughter, 11, and a son, 8 -- in the quiet and sleepy confines of North Fayette, where he grew up.

That sense of accomplishment, however, stirred something in him.

"I felt like I needed to do something more, to give back to the community," said Mr. Petrone, a partner in the Muninn Group Inc., a small industrial and commercial automation firm based in Collier.

Initially, he said, he thought about seeking a seat on his borough council or the school board.

"I spent a lot of time talking to people in the community, and the one thing I kept hearing was how much they didn't understand of what is going on in county government. They don't feel like they have a voice in the county," said Mr. Petrone.

And that is when Mr. Petrone decided that his first foray into politics would be to seek County Council's District 4 seat in Tuesday's election. Incumbent Democrat Michael Finnerty is seeking re-election.

"I have never run for office. I have never helped anyone run for office, but I believe that my business background lends itself well to a position in politics," said Mr. Petrone, a Republican.

Mr. Finnerty, 64, a lifelong Democrat, seeking his second term on County Council, can understand Mr. Petrone's upstart political ambition.

After all, he, too, had never sought public office until he was elected to council four years ago representing Bridgeville, Carnegie, Collier, Crafton. Findlay, Glenfield, Heidelberg, Kennedy, McKees Rocks, Neville, North Fayette, Oakdale, Glen Osborne, Robinson, Rosslyn Farms, Scott and Stowe.

A retired reading specialist at Chartiers Valley High School, where he also coached football, basketball and track for 30 years, Mr. Finnerty dismissed Mr. Petrone's charges that he is out of touch with needs of his constituents.

"I'm definitely in touch with my constituents. In fact, it's the biggest part of the job," said Mr. Finnerty on a recent morning as he returned from visiting a constituent in Scott.

"They called me because the road in front of their house was paved and their driveway was messed up by the paving. So I went there to see the problem," he said, adding that he frequently attends municipal council meetings in Findlay and North Fayette, as well as other communities.

"When they need me, they give me a call," said Mr. Finnerty.

A former union president of the Chartiers Valley Federation of Teachers, Mr. Finnerty said his four years on council have been a learning experience in the issues facing not only his constituents, but the health and wealth of Allegheny County.

As the chairman of council's Committee on Economic Development, Mr. Finnerty said that council and the administration of county Executive Dan Onorato have pursued Tax Increment Financing and Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act initiatives to push forward infrastructure development projects that have created jobs in the county.

If re-elected, he contends, his key objective in his second term is to continue to make Allegheny County attractive for homeowners and the business community. One aspect of that would be to continue the Onorato administration's objective of keeping real estate property taxes low in the county.

And even though the county is faced with the possibility of a real estate property assessment that most likely will lead to higher property tax bills, Mr. Finnerty, much like Mr. Onorato, contends that the problem of property assessments can be fixed only by the state Legislature.

But Mr. Finnerty's political posture and closeness with the Onorato administration on the key issues of the day like property assessments and the much-debated drink and car rental taxes, which were implemented last year, is one of the reasons Mr. Petrone is challenging Mr. Finnerty.

"I find that this County Council has become a rubber stamp for the county executive. They don't seem to have the rapport among themselves to seriously challenge Mr. Onorato," said Mr. Petrone.

As a Republican, Mr. Petrone said he believes in a limited government, but he agrees that Allegheny County's property assessment problems are bigger than Grant Street.

"On that issue, I actually agree with Mr. Onorato," he said.

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