For more than a decade, Pittsburgh 9th City Council district has been the setting for some of the most contested election campaigns and 2023 appears unlikely to be an exception — even though it’s not clear whether incumbent Rickey Burgess will run for reelection or not.
Stanton Heights political consultant and activist Kierran Young is announcing his bid for the seat on Monday. “I'm ready to bring some fresh ideas, new leadership and a new direction to our city in order to help take us to the next level.”
District 9 represents a swath of the East End and is one of the city’s two majority-black districts. It includes neighborhoods such as East Liberty, Friendship, Garfield, Homeood, Larmier, Lincoln-Leminngton, and portions of Point Breeze.
Young’s campaign will be the second time he sought the seat, having finished second to Burgess in a split field four years ago. (His father, Andre Young, ran for the seat unsuccessfully four years before that.)
Since that run, Young said, “I’ve continued to see the neighborhood decline, and services are not where I believe they should be. And as I’ve traveled the country doing political and consulting and community development work, I’ve wondered why my neighbors aren’t represented to the fullest extent .. they should be.”
Young’s entry sets up a contested Democratic primary this spring: Khari Mosley entered the race late last year. And Young said he will bring a new approach to issues like development. “I think a lot of developers have just been able to cut deals and do whatever they want,” he said. “I’d like to see programs put in place [to] help long-term residents help fight against displacement.” And he said he’d like more community discussion of developments generally, citing the disappearance of affordable apartments in East Liberty’s Penn Plaza complex as an example of a status quo that needs to be changed.
Young said that part of that change would involve establishing an office within the district itself, and committing to hold regular district-wide meetings with residents. He faulted Burgess for “not being accessible enough to his own district.” He said he’d use the leverage of the office, and tax incentives often sought by developers, to exact promises to support the community — and added that he would push large nonprofits to invest in the community as well.
Burgess has offered a number of initiatives to address tensions between Black residents and the community — although those reforms have not always been pursued. Young said he favors efforts to increase police accountability, and agreed that the city should hire more social workers to handle calls stemming from mental-health crises which police now handle. But he said he draws the line at calls to reduce spending on police.
As it stands now, he said, “We do not have enough police on the streets. I understand everybody’s desire for police reform. I’ve always been an advocate for police reform, but at the same time, we have a serious crime problem in the city, not just Downtown but in the greater East End as well.”
“Advocating for pay freezes or not giving people adequate start salaries — I don’t think that’s accountability. I think holding police accountable for their misdeeds is completely different than how we treat the people who are working in the job.”
Young does not shy away from conflict: He got into a brief altercation with Gainey’s campaign manager at an 2021 event outside a union hall.
Young said while he is “very staunchly independent,” he had good working relationships with council members and area unions that include the Iron Workers and other building trades.”
“I’ll be ready and willing to work with anybody who wants to help better those neighborhoods. … If that rubs you the wrong way, then so be it,” he said. And he said his willingness to do so marked a difference in style and emphasis from Mosley: “I will be moving my own agenda as opposed to moving the agenda of the mayor. And my agenda will put my community first."
Mosley countered that in the district and citywide, “We need to focus more on partnership and collaboration than on contentiousness and conflict. … My top priority as a member of council will be serving the interests of residents” on a range of issues that include affordable housing, decaying infrastructure, and crime. . “We need unity over the political infighting, back-biting and divisiveness that has stalled our progress as a region.”
Burgess has held the seat since winning it in 2007, but he has not made his own 2023 plans clear, and Gainey’s win in 2021 may serve as a disincentive to another campaign: The two are longtime rivals.
Candidates have until early March to file petitions announcing their bids, but Burgess has already missed a deadline for seeking the Allegheny County Democratic Committee endorsement — a stamp of approval from party leaders which is certainly optional but which Burgess has sought and won in the past. Burgess himself has not addressed questions about his plans. His departure, along with that of the retiring Bruce Kraus, would mark the exit of the two longest-serving members currently on council.
Young said that whether Burgess runs or not, the election is an opportunity for a new approach in District 9. He said he would advocate for novel approaches to issues facing the city — including a ban on the operation of autonomous vehicles inside city limits. Such a ban would enhance safety and protect jobs, he said.
It’s not at all clear such a ban would be legal, since local municipalities have limited jurisdiction over self-driving cars. But Young said “It’s something that we as City Council need to start to focus on, since the state has dropped the ball.”
In any case, he said, “I think it’s the role of a council person to think outside the box and try to solve problems that most affect the people that elect them.”
