The candidates seeking to lead Pittsburgh as mayor outlined their positions on key issues like public safety and affordable housing in a pair of debates held at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse Downtown.
Tuesday’s mayoral forum included all four candidates, separated into two separate debates, one for the Republicans and one for Democrats.
On the Democratic side, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is seeking a second term, but facing a formidable challenger in Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, a former city councilman and son of the late Mayor Bob O’Connor.
On the Republican side are retired police officer Tony Moreno — who lost to Gainey in the last mayoral race — and small-business owner Thomas West, a political newcomer.
Gainey and O’Connor have often clashed over competing claims during the campaign. They echoed similar points they’ve repeatedly focused on during the race, with O’Connor criticizing Gainey’s performance and the mayor portraying his administration as one that has made improvements in key areas.
Gainey painted a rosy picture of the city’s finances, despite concerns from some elected officials as revenues decline, federal covid-19 relief money dries up and the rainy-day fund shrinks.
The mayor pointed out that he has not raised taxes in his first three years — and said he has no intention of doing so next year. He highlighted the city’s favorable bond rating and the fact the city last year ended with a $4 million surplus.
“Due to sound management, discipline and being smart, we ended the year — when people said we would have a deficit — we ended the year with a $4 million surplus,” Gainey said. “And that’s strong.”
O’Connor countered that the city is raiding its rainy-day fund, which is projected to sharply decline in the coming years, and is on track to outspend its overtime budget for public works and public safety personnel.
“Let’s be transparent about the budget,” O’Connor said. “Our city is walking over a financial cliff.”
They refrained from arguing over housing data, as they’ve frequently done throughout the campaign, but pitched different visions for how to bolster the city’s affordable housing supply.
Gainey touted his administration’s work to support the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Own PGH program, which helps low-income homebuyers purchase their first homes, and the Pittsburgh Land Bank, which started moving properties for the first time under Gainey’s administration.
Gainey advocated for his proposal for citywide inclusionary zoning, a controversial zoning reform that would mandate all major housing developments earmark a portion of their units as affordable housing. The proposal has stalled before a divided City Council.
O’Connor has said he prefers a neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach, rather than a blanket inclusionary zoning mandate for all 90 neighborhoods.
He said also he believes the city needs to slash red tape and cut the wait time for developers to get permits to build affordable housing. He pushed for getting the roughly 11,000 blighted properties in the city’s inventory “shovel-ready” for affordable housing developments.
When asked about police staffing, Gainey and O’Connor agreed the bureau needs around 850 officers. Under Gainey’s administration, the budgeted size of the bureau has dropped from 900 to 800, reflecting the city’s struggles to recruit and retain officers. The bureau had 753 members as of last week.
Gainey defended his public safety record, highlighting a decrease in homicides and nonfatal shootings, which followed a national trend in the years since the covid-19 pandemic.
But O’Connor criticized Gainey for unsteady leadership at the top of the force, promising to install a new police chief quickly if elected. Since Gainey took office over three years ago, five different people have held the top cop spot, with two resigning since October.
Gainey highlighted his administration’s work — in partnership with Allegheny County — to clear out all of the homeless camps Downtown this winter.
And, Gainey said, he feels Downtown is safe. The mayor has consistently defended his record of public safety Downtown, though O’Connor argued some continue to be wary of the area.
O’Connor pushed for filling vacancies with a variety of housing and businesses and improving perceptions of safety throughout the Golden Triangle.
The Republican candidates bashed the city’s Democratic leadership, but outlined views largely similar to each other.
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They portrayed themselves as changemakers who would cut down on crime and homelessness and spend taxpayer dollars more responsibly.
“Change is actually coming in and reversing course on the failures we see plainly,” Moreno said.
West, pointing out he’s the only candidate who has never before sought public office, said he was running because “I got frustrated of hearing the same complaints, seeing the same complaints over and over again.”
West said he’d like to see the city make it easier for people to buy homes, which would help to build generational wealth. He rejected Gainey’s notion of citywide inclusionary zoning but said the city should focus more on building job opportunities in all neighborhoods so people can afford housing.
Moreno argued the city needs to better prioritize its affordable housing spending, arguing the current approach has not delivered enough units.
Both attacked Gainey’s spending, vowed to steer clear of tax hikes and promised to better prioritize the budget, with emphasis on core city services, like public safety and infrastructure improvements.
The Republican candidates agreed they want a larger police bureau, arguing for better treatment of officers and increased recruitment efforts. The city has been unable to recruit new officers as quickly as officers retire and resign, but the Republican candidates suggested quality-of-life improvements would entice officers to join and stay in the bureau.
Moreno and West both said there should be more than 900 officers in the bureau, a figure that many officials long considered the ideal size of the force. The city’s 2025 budget funds 800, though current staffing sits below that figure.
Both Republicans pushed for more police presence Downtown and new approaches to ensure homeless people aren’t living on the street.