After a busy election season in the fall, many in Pittsburgh 鈥� including 鈥� are turning their attention towards the Democratic mayoral primary.
Mayor Ed Gainey and his challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O鈥機onnor, addressed in a mayoral forum at Chatham on Sunday afternoon. Pitt College Democrats attended the event and took part in a separate question-and-answer session with the candidates. The primary takes place May 20 and the general election on Nov. 4.
Gainey was when he was elected mayor in 2021. Previously, he served as a state representative in Pennsylvania’s 24th District. O鈥機onnor, the son of the late Mayor Bob O鈥機onnor, served in city council for 10 years
(Alex Jurkuta | Visual Editor)
Regarding the and , Gainey said he is committed to affordable housing. He referenced the city to build more affordable housing.听
Gainey also His plan, would require 10% of housing to be affordable across all Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
鈥淲e have to be focused on how we rebuild the infrastructure of housing in this city so that we can make sure that we have housing for all,鈥� Gainey said.
One of Gainey’s major selling points in this campaign has been a decrease in .听
鈥淎t the end of the day, the homicides went down 鈥� not by a little bit, close to 35% we reduced homicides,鈥� Gainey said. 鈥淎nd that means something to me.鈥�
He also noted the nearly , including in public spaces like Market Square and in public safety.
Gainey reaffirmed the stance he took , where he said his administration will not work with ICE.
鈥淢y job is to keep the city safe, and I’ve been working from day one to keep this city safe,鈥� Gainey said.
O鈥機onnor criticized the Gainey administration’s spending and operations and said he is running for office because he thinks 鈥渨e deserve better as a city.鈥�
鈥淩ight now, we see an administration that is managing decline instead of talking about growth,鈥� O鈥機onnor said. 鈥淚 see a city that’s not able to provide basic city services.鈥�
(Alex Jurkuta | Visual Editor)
O鈥機onnor criticized Gainey鈥檚 inclusionary zoning policies. He cited the as an example of how to approach affordable housing and said that though he voted for , each neighborhood is different.
鈥淲hen you talk about inclusionary zoning, you have to actually be inclusive in having all the neighbors and residents in the organization come to the table to talk about housing,鈥� O鈥機onnor said.
O鈥機onnor also criticized Gainey鈥檚 administration for its.
鈥淲e should have been planning the city of the future, where we take care of plight and restore land so that we can reuse it, where we start investing in IT and things that we need that are going to help build the city of the future,鈥� O鈥機onnor said.
O鈥機onnor stated another priority of his is 鈥渃leaning up鈥� zoning code .
鈥淧ittsburgh is not welcoming to people that want to build any type of housing, regardless of what it is,鈥� O鈥機onnor said. 鈥淎nd then, when you go to our permit system, there is no reason why permits should take five to six months to do it. California is looking at a bill where it would be 15 days to get a permit. That’s perfect for anything. That is how you speed up the process.鈥�
O鈥機onnor, like Gainey, said he would not work with ICE. O鈥機onnor cited it as a public safety concern, especially if a person concerned about their immigration status were afraid to call 911 in the event of an emergency.
鈥淚 don’t care who you are, if you’re a visitor or permanent resident, I want you to feel safe for your rights and your protections,鈥� O鈥機onnor said. 鈥淲e have to have that ability, and for other cities to cooperate with them creates a bigger safety issue for those residents.鈥�
(Alex Jurkuta | Visual Editor)
Henry Cohen, co-president of Pitt College Democrats, said he felt it was important for their members to hear from the candidates and ask questions about issues that matter to them. He also said College Democrats plan to choose which candidate to endorse at their Feb. 12 meeting.
鈥淚 think we got some good answers to people,鈥� Cohen, a junior political science and urban planning major, said.
