What’s at stake: District 9 includes the neighborhoods of East Liberty, Homewood, East Hills, Larimer, Point Breeze North, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, and Friendship. The majority-Black district has been represented by the Rev. Ricky Burgess since 2008. But Burgess decided not to run for reelection this year, all but guaranteeing a new council member for the district for the first time in 16 years.
Salary: $76,544
Further reading: “Khari Mosley launches primary challenge against Burgess for Pittsburgh City Council's 9th district” (Kiley Koscinski, WESA)
Khadijah Harris
Khadijah Harris, an independent broker, is a longtime resident of Homewood. She credits her experience in fundraising, financial planning and community development as good preparation for the role of city councilor. This is her first run for public office.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Homewood
Education: B.S., Cheyney University; Associate Degree, University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Independent broker
Related Experience: Corporate fundraising, community development, financial planning and strategic planning
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?
City Council’s top priority right now should be real affordable housing for families and individuals. If elected, I would promote and market first-time homeownership programs to residents of the City of Pittsburgh. There are a lot of landlords in the city who need help with upgrades to their properties, and if we help them, then they can help us with the affordable housing problem. Build strong relationships with the landlords and ask them to keep the rent down at fair market rates, and we guarantee the landlord’s ongoing tenant. We also have to hold these landlords at a high standard to make sure tenants are being treated fairly.
What does your district most need from City Council? Why are you the right person to address it?
A leader that understands the needs of the communities and to be the voice of the people. I will never put profit over people. I believe that I am the right person because I grew up in the 9th district and I understand the needs of the communities.
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?
First council has to understand that troubled youth have a lot going on in their lives such as missing parents, homeless, lack of education and direction, so turning to crime makes sense to them. Council and the mayor’s office have to create safe space for these young people so they can interact with caring and professional staff to address their immediate needs until an assessment can be done on the youth. These troubled youth are in survival mode and have no idea how their actions could get them killed or in prison.
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?
The most effective thing council can do to address the housing challenges would be to hold these developers and investors accountable for building new housing in the city that the average resident can’t afford. Council also has to get control over yearly rent increases due to landlords’ and investors’ greed.
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 should be ongoing cultural sensitivity and critical thinking training for all police officers and administrators. This will assist police officers with understanding the communities they serve, and it will cut down on the stress levels the officers experience everyday doing their jobs. Second: Council should offer incentives for all new police officers, such as signing bonuses and tuition reimbursement, etc. Third: Make an extra effort to recruit minority officers to bring balance to the force. Diversity is very important when moving forward with any change.
Khari Mosley
Mosley has been a mainstay in Pittsburgh Democratic circles for years, having worked on state House bids for Jake Wheatley, Bill Peduto’s first run for mayor and campaigns for other city council members. He’s also been active in outside political advocacy groups. But this is the first time he’s campaigning in a race of his own. Mosley’s wife, Chelsa Wagner, is a judge in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, as well as a former Allegheny County Controller and state House member.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: North Point Breeze
Education: B.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Current occupation: Director, 1Hood Power; political director, 1Hood Media
Related Experience: BlueGreen Alliance, Pennsylvania state director (2012-2019); GTECH Strategies, director of Green Economy Initiatives (2009-2012); Democratic Committee chair, 22nd Ward (2004-2009).
Supporters/endorsements: Allegheny County Democratic Committee; Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council and a number of labor unions; Young Democrats of Allegheny County; Steel City Stonewall Democrats; Mayor Ed Gainey; Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor; state Rep. Sara Innamorato
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?
Pittsburgh's top priority should be creating and executing a plan prioritizing housing affordability while sustainably developing communities with a lens toward equity. I would address it by establishing a comprehensive strategy that engages all key stakeholders that play a central role in housing and community development, from community-based organizations, the public sector, philanthropy, private business, residents, and developers. This strategy would create mixed-income communities with multi-family housing, new single-family homes, and rehabbed homes while recycling blighted, vacant, and abandoned properties back to productive use.
What does your district most need from City Council? Why are you the right person to address it?
District 9 needs a City Council committed to enacting policy that expands affordable housing, empowers neighborhoods in the planning process, and invests in locally grown small businesses. Equitable and sustainable neighborhood development can improve our overall quality of life and rebuild the communities most in need. We can be the model for cities across this country with an equitable approach that preserves the profound and unique character of neighborhoods and does so without succumbing to gentrification and the erasure of the characteristics that define us.
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?
We need a multilayered strategy that addresses the root causes of crime, such as poverty, mental illness, food insecurity, housing instability, and other traumatic experiences. We must take an “all hands on deck” outlook. Our approach must go beyond collecting community input; it must be community-driven by the people who understand the urgency and know we can overcome these challenges. We need to enlist expertise from grassroots violence-prevention organizations, economic justice advocacy groups and the mental health community, particularly the county’s Department of Human Services, to provide services that could prevent violent crime.
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 should promote an all-of-the-above housing strategy investing in mixed-income multi-family housing, new single-family homes, and rehabbing the salvageable existing housing stock. This strategy includes bringing vacant, abandoned, and blighted properties back to productive use and on the tax rolls. To address the challenges with the unhoused, City Council must coordinate resources with the county Department of Health, mental health-focused nonprofits, substance abuse treatment centers, organizations that serve the unhoused, and other stakeholders. In addition, the council must explore establishing an area of city government focused on addressing the challenges posed by our growing unhoused population if the county government cannot meet the city’s needs.
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?
Given the growing concern about public safety in our city, we must implement strategies to make our city safer while also demanding accountability of those who serve in law enforcement. We must build bridges between the community and law enforcement while holding officers who commit misconduct accountable. Doing both is the foundation of the hard work required to rebuild trust. I support the council enforcing strict accountability standards, making pay levels of city police more competitive with our neighboring communities, and implementing outreach and recruitment strategies to increase the proportion of police officers who are women and people of color.
