What’s at stake: Pittsburgh City Council District 1 includes the Strip District as well as neighborhoods north of the rivers: Allegheny Center, Brighton Heights, East Allegheny, Fineview, Observatory Hill, Spring Garden, Spring Hill-City View, Summer Hill and Troy Hill. Bobby Wilson has represented the district since ousting former council member Darlene Harris in 2019, and he faces a challenger of his own in his first bid for re-election.
Salary: $76,544
Steven Oberst
Steven Oberst is a tax accountant who cites his decades in business as proof of his ability to solve problems and work together with other people. He’s run for the office before, and in 2021 he ran for the Democratic nomination in a magisterial district judge race in the area.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Brighton Heights
Education: B.S., Point Park University
Current occupation: Tax accountant
Related experience: Tax accountant (1988-present)
Supporters/endorsements: n/a
Links: n/a
WESA Candidate Survey
What should Pittsburgh City Council’s top priority be right now? How would you try to address it, if elected?
Council's top priority should be to stop the gun violence. I would suggest hiring more police officers and to train them well.
What does your district most need from City Council? Why are you the right person to address it?
A visible council person to address the concerns of the district.
Violent crime, particularly among youth, has been an issue of high priority for the mayor’s office and city council. What do you think council’s role should be in addressing the problem?
Council should be hosting meetings in their own districts and then in council chambers. The citizens need to be heard, for they are all part of the solution to teen violence.
Pittsburgh faces a variety of housing challenges — from a lack of affordable housing stock to a growing homeless population. What is the most effective thing council can do to address this?
Council needs to make affordable housing a reality and not just talk about it. Council needs to find properties that people can afford.
The state of the city’s Bureau of Police has been a topic of discussion for city leaders. While City Council has held public hearings to learn more about staffing concerns, what else can or should council do to improve working conditions for police?
The Bureau of Police needs to hire more officers. The current force is struggling to cover all areas of the city. The stress they are under now needs to cease.
Bobby Wilson
Bobby Wilson is the incumbent city councilor for District 1. He defeated former Democratic City Councilor Darlene Harris in the 2019 primary before winning a three-way race that fall. Since taking office in 2020, he has proposed successful measures to protect abortion rights, use federal COVID relief aid to help those in medical debt, and provide leave for city employees who experience a loss of pregnancy.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Spring Hill
Education: B.S., University of Pittsburgh; M.S., University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Member of Pittsburgh City Council; chair of the committee on land use and economic development
Related experience: Pittsburgh City Council: (2019-present); University of Pittsburgh research technician (2012-2019)
Supporters/endorsements: Allegheny County Democratic Committee, Steel City Stonewall Democrats, Young Democrats of Allegheny County and half a dozen labor organizations, including the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council and SEIU Healthcare.
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
WESA Candidate Survey
What should Pittsburgh City Council’s top priority be right now? How would you try to address it, if elected?
The biggest priority is appropriate growth of our population and businesses. The Pittsburgh Land Bank has the potential to provide multiple land-recycling solutions for vacant and abandoned properties. I am a Land Bank board member, and I’m eager to utilize the $7 million allocation to address this issue. Also, nationwide cities are converting city center office spaces to residential. I support the URA’s Pilot Program to offer grants to developers that are working to bring more residents Downtown, with the stipulation that all development must include a percentage of affordable housing units for low- to moderate-income levels. Residential expansion will play a large part in making the area thrive.
What does your district most need from City Council? Why are you the right person to address it?
The district comprises 15 neighborhoods, each with their own needs. I have been coordinating with community groups to support the distinct character of each neighborhood. I'm proud of what we've accomplished together these past three years and eager to continue the work that supports our working families by passing bills that help our most vulnerable neighbors, invest in our neighborhoods and parks, and support our businesses. I'm committed to running an office dedicated to assisting all District 1 residents with city services. I believe I am the right person to represent this area based on my record of relationship-building and the success of improvements for the district.
Violent crime, particularly among youth, has been an issue of high priority for the mayor’s office and city council. What do you think council’s role should be in addressing the problem?
Council is an eager partner with Mayor Gainey and county leaders in looking for solutions to violent crime and the youth of our city. Council plays a big part in how Stop the Violence funds are distributed to organizations that support youth that may be susceptible to violence. I believe the key to success to these funds is to track progress of the programs implemented by youth organizations. It is also essential to support youth organizations that have shown success by providing additional resources. City Council should continue to evaluate why some youth are not participating and figure out a strategy to engage them.
Pittsburgh faces a variety of housing challenges — from a lack of affordable housing stock to a growing homeless population. What is the most effective thing council can do to address this?
We must increase the amount of housing options available, and we need housing available for all income levels, including housing that will support our unhoused population. There are a couple strategies that we should focus on. One strategy is to use the city’s $7 million allocation for the Pittsburgh Land Bank to work with community groups to turn abandoned properties into affordable units. Another strategy is to work with the city and county housing authorities to create supportive housing for our unhoused population. We see the investment in Second Avenue Commons, but more capacity and investment is necessary. I’m in support of putting more funding into these efforts.
The state of the city’s Bureau of Police has been a topic of discussion for city leaders. While City Council has held public hearings to learn more about staffing concerns, what else can or should council do to improve working conditions for police?
There are 911 calls that do not require people with guns to show up, and sometimes these interactions would be better suited to having a crisis counselor or mediator assisting. Some of these situations surround our unhoused population: This is why I voted to allocate $10 million for outreach to people that need street health care.
I also support the allocation of funds to build our co-response program, in which frequent utilizers of our emergency response system are being provided with the right type of response. That is, someone who calls 911 because they need physical assistance would be connected to a health aide instead of our 911 response personnel.
