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With a half dozen offices on the ballot this year, Pittsburgh city government could see some big changes in 2024. Pittsburgh City Council will have two — if not three — newer members, the city’s finances will be overseen by a new controller. And all of this would arrive as Mayor Ed Gainey begins the second half of his first term as mayor.
It’s shaping up to bring about a change in leadership the city hasn’t seen since 2007.
Fully one-third of council was replaced almost overnight during the Democratic primary that year. South Sider Bruce Kraus replaced Jeff Koch in City Council District 3, Patrick Dowd beat Len Bodack in District 7, and Ricky Burgess won an eight-way fight to take the District 9 seat previously held by Twanda Carlisle.
And 2007 saw change elsewhere in government as well: Michael Lamb easily bested City Controller Tony Pokora and others competing for the seat to begin his stint as the city’s fiscal watchdog. (Then-mayor Luke Ravenstahl won a full four-year term after ascending to the office following the death of Bob O’Connor.)
But this year, with the odd-numbered districts in council up for grabs, at least two members of the class of 2007 are departing: Kraus has announced his retirement, and Lamb has decided against running for re-election to focus on a campaign for county executive instead. Whether Burgess, the last of the 2007 cohort, will seek another term remains to be seen. More on that later.
Some change in council is already baked in: District 5 representative Barbara Warwick won a special election last fall to replace Corey O’Connor, and has been in office for only a couple of months. But two rivals have already announced plans to run in the Democratic primary: political newcomer Lita Brillman and Matt Mahoney, who hopes to take another stab at campaigning for the seat after competing in the special as well.
Incumbent District 7 councilor Deb Gross has drawn one declared opponent, Jordan Botta, for this spring. Botta has worked as a geologic consultant for tech company Argo AI.
That leaves just one council member, District 1’s Bobby Wilson, without an obvious challenger. So far.
As for Kraus, even as he announced his retirement, he was backing his chief of staff for the job. Bob Charland may not be the only name on the ballot this spring, though. He is expected to face William Reeves, a community policy organizer with Casa San José.
Kraus cited a desire to allow “new leadership to emerge,” as the key reason for his decision. “This is an exciting time in what I see as fully capable and experienced young people stepping up to assume the mantle of leadership, and I would like to provide the way for that to happen,” he said.
Whether Burgess agrees it’s time for another generational change is unclear. He hasn’t said publicly whether he plans to seek another term. Further speculation about his intentions emerged after Burgess skipped the Allegheny County Democratic Committee endorsement. The endorsement is optional, but he had sought and won it in previous races.
On Wednesday, Burgess’ office said we would all find out together if he plans to run – when candidate petitions are due March 7.
The District 9 primary race isn’t waiting for him to get started, though. Khari Mosley, a mainstay in Pittsburgh's Democratic circles, launched his bid for the seat last month. Stanton Heights political consultant and activist Kierran Young announced his run this week.
As for the city controller’s post? Lamb’s top aide, Deputy Controller Rachael Heisler, hopes to replace him. She and three other Democrats — Kevin Carter, Mark DePasquale and Tracy Royston — are vying for the office this spring. A Republican has yet to throw a proverbial hat into the ring for this office.
The changes that took place in 2007 were magnified by the elections of newcomers Theresa Kail-Smith and Natalia Rudiak two years later. And the council that emerged sometimes changed the balance of power in city government, as when council frustrated an effort by Ravenstahl to turn over parking assets to private operators.
Whether this year leads to such dramatic sea changes will be up to the voters. (Will Pittsburgh turn and face the strange? Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes? Anyone?) And that, in turn, will depend partly on how much attention voters are paying. While municipal elections typically draw low voter interest, a higher turnout in 2021 could indicate a shift is already underway there, too.
