Lawyer and former Allegheny County council member Dave Fawcett is announcing his candidacy for Allegheny County executive.Fawcett works at the law firm Reed Smith and has done pro bono work through the Pennsylvania Innocence Project."I'm running because I believe we need to do everything in our power to raise the profile of this region, and to build on our natural advantages that we have here," Fawcett said while announcing his candidacy Thursday. "We have a gem of a city. Our rivers, our hills, our greenery are second to none. And from our unique neighborhoods to our grit and our work ethic to our world-class universities, we have every ability to make this region a beacon of sustainability, an innovation hub and, really, a Super Bowl champion of cities."Fawcett said the county needs to keep its talent here while bringing more businesses and better-paying jobs to the area.He called for increasing investment, improving transportation systems and creating a countywide, public riverfront park that would stretch alongside the rivers."There's no reason we can't do that, except for a lack of imagination and effort. And if we do what we should, the sky is the limit," Fawcett said. "And if we want to raise our profile and keep talent here and attract new business here, we're going to need to take on the difficult social and economic inequities that we have neglected for too long."The current county executive, Democrat Rich Fitzgerald, has been in the office since 2012 and has reached his term limit.Fawcett is seeking the Democratic nomination in an increasingly crowded pool. Five candidates have now launched their bids at the seat, with the likelihood of additional candidates entering. In addition to Fawcett, the following candidates, all Democrats, have declared their intention to run: Erin McClelland, former congressional candidateMichael Lamb, Pittsburgh city controllerOlivia Bennett, Allegheny County councilwomanSara Innamorato, state representative for 21st DistrictFawcett briefly eyed a run at becoming Pennsylvania's attorney general in 2016 but withdrew his candidacy before the Democratic nomination process began.