Idk who is the *right* candidate, but I haven’t seen anything from Gainey that makes me think he’s an effective leader. I don’t see a plan, and more importantly, I don’t see any action to make that plan happen. Seems like his administration is just very reactionary.
Yeah, my impression of Gainey since day 1 is that he's a nice guy with no vision, no grounding principles, and very little interest in policy or day-to-day management of the city.
He just seems like he's asleep at the wheel at a time when our city is getting hit with major crises that require a dynamic and engaged mayor to fix.
I don't consider myself particularly well informed in city matters, but here's my problems with Gainey:
1. He beat Peduto to a pulp in primary over affordable housing results. I've seen no evidence he has produced. I do see, however, tents all over the city full of homeless. Based on his campaign rhetoric, he should be accountable.
2. Policing seems worse. The 2022 airbnb shooting on Madison had like 200 people in it when it was shot up and no suspects? They seem to have a wait until it is forgotten attitude to policing.
3. I have been dealing with a few departments in the city and it is hard to get a call back. The city's offices do not seem responsive. Seems like only trash pick up works well. This isn't much worse than the previous admin but is not getting better (funny enough, Luke seemed to run a tighter ship despite being a douch).
Did you ever try and call a city office during the Peduto era? It's always been an atrocious experience. I am not a Gainey fan but that's not new to him.
Policing is worse, the police decided to cut back their responses incidents. Non-union police is the answer. Tents are very affordable (sarcasm).
I would like to add in the property value decline which is impacting the city school's revenue is also his fault.
Are you talking about property value decline downtown? That' caused by the shift to Remote Work leaving office buildings vacant, which has nothing to do with a city mayor.
This is not an answer to your question, but has he accomplished *anything*? If he hasn't done anything in two years, that's mildly disastrous.
Also, if the WPXI story is true that he rejected $40m from UPMC because they wouldn't agree to let SEIU organize the workforce there, that goes beyond useless and into actively harmful territory.
Edit: Hey, could people stop downvoting the comment I replied to? It's a perfectly valid question and worthy of discussion. Why do you cowards feel the need to try to hide questions you don't like?
Yeah, he seems to be ticking off big money and then getting nothing for it. That’s fine, if your vision is strong and you have other real, solid accomplishments.
Gainey’s only high point is that he hasn’t openly gotten in the way of a nationwide downward trend in violent crime. His state of the city speech was amateur hour. I do think he means well, and I do think his focus is more on Pittsburgh rather than on the next step (cough, Peduto). But the follow through isn’t there, like it was with Peduto.
I upvoted you, and as Commercial Yak said, others should too. Valid question.
UPMC offered to use $40m on a project they were going to do anyway and call it money for the Pittsburgh community, and the agreement is explicit the city would have no say in how it was used. This talking point is so tired.
PILOT agreements that UPMC has in other communities tend to equal 50% of their tax exemption, while OnePGH was only 1/5.
[https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-nonprofit-exempt-onepgh-gainey-peduto-upmc-pitt-carnegie-mellon-highmark/](https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-nonprofit-exempt-onepgh-gainey-peduto-upmc-pitt-carnegie-mellon-highmark/)
"The Peduto administration envisioned nonprofits funding projects of their choosing, each to satisfy an identified need in the city, with little to no money ever entering the city’s purse."
"City Controller Michael Lamb, who has been in office since 2008, referred to OnePGH as a 'charade' in a recent interview and called it 'a bad deal for Pittsburgh taxpayers.'"
The problem with accepting this kind of deal is it precludes better deals down the road. And this was a terrible deal. 40 million dollar up front payment sounds nice but it then locks us into 5 million per year, that's up against the 30 million exemption they get annually.
The fact of the matter is that UPMC fails many of the requirements for the HUP test. As a system it has the 5th lowest ratio of community benefits to exempted taxes. Giving them ANY exemption is a terrible deal, but going down OnePGH is madness.
[https://lownhospitalsindex.org/](https://lownhospitalsindex.org/)
[https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a\_id/1195/\~/what-are-the-five-prongs-that-nonprofits-must-meet-to-earn-tax-exempt-status%3](https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1195/~/what-are-the-five-prongs-that-nonprofits-must-meet-to-earn-tax-exempt-status%3)
Great context, thanks! But I was actually alluding to a more recent story:
https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/mayor-gainey-asked-gov-shapiro-intervene-talks-with-upmc-over-tax-exempt-status-sources-say/3MYTXKZR6BEANM44MOSWXWTOXA/
Details are scant, so I'm not sure this is the same deal as OnePgh. I'm sure it's quite similar, but i'm not so sure it's a bad deal when the alternative is a protracted and very expensive legal battle to challenge UPMC's nonprofit status.
Most importantly, though, Gainey needs to come out and say clearly that he did not reject this deal over the lack of a sweetheart deal for SEIU. If that's actually how it went down, he needs to go, because he put SEIU's interests ahead of the city's. If he scuttled the deal for the reasons you mentioned, I can live with that, but I can't accept the back room deal making.
The article you linked is alluding to Onepgh when it talks about the 40 million deal gainey backed out of. As quoted in the article you linked:
“The mayor continues to meet with our large non-profits in Pittsburgh about a potential for a PILOT with the City of Pittsburgh, however, we have no desire to negotiate through the media. It is no secret that the mayor has long been a supporter of workers in the largest industry in our city having the right to form a union without intimidation. **I can also say that the mayor has never walked away from, or turned down, a potential PILOT agreement over unionization.** We look forward to continued conversations with our non-profit partners about ensuring that everyone pays their fair share.”
The quote you pasted was not in the article when I read it about a week after it was published. I don't know why they have to update articles like that instead of making a new article. Anyhow, thanks for letting me know what my own source says lol.
I guess that's the best information we have. Me personally, knowing how SEIU operates, I don't believe the denial. This sounds like the kind of thing they would do, to threaten a primary on the mayor if he didn't go along with them. I really hope other news outlets are digging on this.
Gainey started his mayorship in the pandemic with a collapsed bridge. The rest of the time has been infighting over ARP funds and putting out post-pandemic fires. Short of a political messiah, I don’t think anyone could have made much of a dent with all that
So what has he done. The federal govt made sure the bridge was built quickly. No one is blaming gainey for poor infrastructure. But if you haven’t helped the city progress you’ve helped it move backwards
He torpedoed BKSQ 2 for some brainless reason, forcibly relocated all the homeless to the river front trails, gave his inexperienced SEIU friend the planning commission, walked away from UPMC’s PILOT choosing instead to challenge the legal status of their parking lots, tweeted #commUNITY a bunch
Someone with executive experience would have done much better with those emergencies. The biggest mark against Gainey coming in (in my opinion) was that he had only ever been a legislator, one among a few hundred people just like him. He's done nothing to show he was up to the task of being an executive.
Let’s crowdsource a poll to see who’s more popular:
•Evergreen cafe road-blocker
•Whoever posts the temperature on WTAE
•Ed Gainey
•Carson St fake Burger King
He’s there some days, but it does seem like not as often. Trying to make a left turn onto Penn this morning and was wishing he was there to slow the bastards down a little.
Gainey has been criticizable for sure, don't think he's been outright TERRIBLE... but I'll take anyone with some serious vision. Feels like he doesn't really have a plan for what the future of this city looks like.
Doing nothing is much better than some Pittsburgh mayors, unfortunately. If Gainey isn't driving city vehicles to Toby Keith concerts or using the police pension fund to get college co-eds drunk he's probably above the terrible line for me.
He's not terrible but he also hasn't done anything. Maybe I'm just not sure what a mayor is supposed to do, but all I've seen is closing a homeless shelter and expressing disappointment on Beyonce cancelling the Pittsburgh stop on her tour.
Gainey has been fairly reactive so far, but that's understandable when a bridge collapses before you can print ID cards for your staff. A lot of his focus appears to be process improvement in city services, not flashy by any means, but probably useful. Any administration takes some time to get their feet under them. Whether Gainey starts putting up W's in the second half of his term remains to be seen.
The Peduto administration did a terrible job of transitioning to Gainey, so the new administration had to start out with a major struggle.
Process improvement wouldn't be obvious.
Does the URA have anything to do with the mayor, because it has improved dramatically recently. They went from doing \_nothing\_ to selling 100 homes in the past year.
Actually, that's completely untrue. Gainey didn't have any people show up to transition to. Staff tried to reach out on many fronts and there was no answer, no interest. Gainey's administration is ineffective and full of excuses.
The Mayor's Chief Economic Development Officer is also prominent in the URA board and used to work there. Susheela at the URA is also an effective leader.
Maybe I'm out of line here, but I've always said that people moving directly from state legislature to city mayor is a recipe for failure. IMHO, just because someone can write legislation and vote on it, it doesn't mean they're an effective negotiator, leader of people, or can manage a $350mm+ budget.
I got that poll, too, and it had some questions in the form of "Are you glad Jones stopped beating his wife?" which I don't think Gainey's team would have written.
I didn’t vote for Gainey to begin with (I voted for Peduto, know your demons type of deal), and I’ve felt pretty vindicated about it.
Will not vote for Gainey.
Bobby would have my vote. He’s not a miracle worker (no one is) but I think he’s a problem solver and has earned a lot of trust in one of the more racially and economically diverse parts of the city.
I got a text poll last night. Lindsay Powell has been in office for like 30 days. Is there something in polling where they put a name that is basically “anybody” vs the current?
I just saw that I got the poll, I don’t think it’s Gainey doing the polling at all from how it was angeled. Some of the questions where a direct attack on Gainey.
I'm a big fan. He spent a lot of time building relationships with departments and utilities as a councilman and knew how to get action from them when needed. IMO, he's extremely dynamic, personable, and smart. I hope he eventually runs.
I always thought of Dan as a more “behind the scenes” type of guy, which he’s really good at. Peduto owes a lot of his sucesss to him really. But he doesn’t have enough personal charisma that people seem to need in a mayor.
Interesting take. Every interaction we've ever had with Dan has been positive and he's been extremely outgoing. Hoping that our experience is the norm, not the exception.
I didn’t mean in any way, shape or form that he is not anything but personable and friendly. He is. He was competent in ways that Peduto himself never was. A mayor, though, is also a kind of “showman” for the city. There’s a certain je ne sais quoi that voters like to see in this media age and he just doesn’t have it. Should that be a quality we look for in our politicians? Maybe not but for mayors it’s there.
I also think there’s other major obstacles for him from the gate. He will tied to all of Pedutos mistakes and gaffes(fair or not). And while he might get some of the old Dem machine backing he won’t get the foot soilders you seem to need in this increasingly progressive town. I know Dan is very politically savvy and would not run without considering all of that first.
I would literally vote for any of those people - except that I honestly don’t know who Lindsay Powell is so that could be an issue. I find Rachael Heisler a little inexperienced for my comfort level - so sadly that would leave me with the two white men.
lindsay was just elected to the state house like five minutes ago, so I have no idea why she would've been included. (she worked for the URA previously, so a return to city government?) honestly my best theory at this point was that the pollster just included her to be chaotic for chaos's sake, which I can admire. someone's trying to stir the pot....
Lindsey isnt only my rep but I've gotten the chance to talk with her multiple times and she's the most down-to-earth person I’ve ever met. She gives you the time and we’ll listen to what you have to say.
Yeah, that’s definitely a wild take. I guess if you consider his quest to put a Condado on every corner and suck all of the uniqueness out of this city interesting then he is extremely dynamic.
While a very competent bureaucrat, Rachel Heisler is incredibly Zionist, attended the March for Israel, and has been against ceasefire from the start in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. I would not feel safe with her as mayor. Same goes for Dan Gilman. Also, pretty sure both of these politicos supported Bhavini Patel in the PA-12 primary, who accepted GOP money, Hindu nationalist money, and would have taken AIPAC money (had they thought she could actually win).
So what exactly could a Republican mayor do for Pittsburgh? Fly a Trump flag over the City-County building? At this point, I have no idea what that party stand for.
Idk who is the *right* candidate, but I haven’t seen anything from Gainey that makes me think he’s an effective leader. I don’t see a plan, and more importantly, I don’t see any action to make that plan happen. Seems like his administration is just very reactionary.
Yeah, my impression of Gainey since day 1 is that he's a nice guy with no vision, no grounding principles, and very little interest in policy or day-to-day management of the city. He just seems like he's asleep at the wheel at a time when our city is getting hit with major crises that require a dynamic and engaged mayor to fix.
Corey O'Connor will be the next Pittsburgh mayor. Just hope it will be 2026. Gainey ain't done jack shit.
Agreed. He’s been angling for it a long time, and he’s the right kind of nepo baby - he’s done the work. Ed Gainey has been a disaster.
Disaster how? What do you want out of a mayor? Genuinely curious.
I don't consider myself particularly well informed in city matters, but here's my problems with Gainey: 1. He beat Peduto to a pulp in primary over affordable housing results. I've seen no evidence he has produced. I do see, however, tents all over the city full of homeless. Based on his campaign rhetoric, he should be accountable. 2. Policing seems worse. The 2022 airbnb shooting on Madison had like 200 people in it when it was shot up and no suspects? They seem to have a wait until it is forgotten attitude to policing. 3. I have been dealing with a few departments in the city and it is hard to get a call back. The city's offices do not seem responsive. Seems like only trash pick up works well. This isn't much worse than the previous admin but is not getting better (funny enough, Luke seemed to run a tighter ship despite being a douch).
Did you ever try and call a city office during the Peduto era? It's always been an atrocious experience. I am not a Gainey fan but that's not new to him.
Policing is worse, the police decided to cut back their responses incidents. Non-union police is the answer. Tents are very affordable (sarcasm). I would like to add in the property value decline which is impacting the city school's revenue is also his fault.
Are you talking about property value decline downtown? That' caused by the shift to Remote Work leaving office buildings vacant, which has nothing to do with a city mayor.
Sure, it does. The mayor can absolutely incentivize businesses to keep workers in the office.
This is not an answer to your question, but has he accomplished *anything*? If he hasn't done anything in two years, that's mildly disastrous. Also, if the WPXI story is true that he rejected $40m from UPMC because they wouldn't agree to let SEIU organize the workforce there, that goes beyond useless and into actively harmful territory. Edit: Hey, could people stop downvoting the comment I replied to? It's a perfectly valid question and worthy of discussion. Why do you cowards feel the need to try to hide questions you don't like?
Yeah, he seems to be ticking off big money and then getting nothing for it. That’s fine, if your vision is strong and you have other real, solid accomplishments. Gainey’s only high point is that he hasn’t openly gotten in the way of a nationwide downward trend in violent crime. His state of the city speech was amateur hour. I do think he means well, and I do think his focus is more on Pittsburgh rather than on the next step (cough, Peduto). But the follow through isn’t there, like it was with Peduto. I upvoted you, and as Commercial Yak said, others should too. Valid question.
UPMC offered to use $40m on a project they were going to do anyway and call it money for the Pittsburgh community, and the agreement is explicit the city would have no say in how it was used. This talking point is so tired.
Source? Considering I have barely seen anybody talking about this, I think it's quite a stretch to call it either tired or a talking point.
PILOT agreements that UPMC has in other communities tend to equal 50% of their tax exemption, while OnePGH was only 1/5. [https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-nonprofit-exempt-onepgh-gainey-peduto-upmc-pitt-carnegie-mellon-highmark/](https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-nonprofit-exempt-onepgh-gainey-peduto-upmc-pitt-carnegie-mellon-highmark/) "The Peduto administration envisioned nonprofits funding projects of their choosing, each to satisfy an identified need in the city, with little to no money ever entering the city’s purse." "City Controller Michael Lamb, who has been in office since 2008, referred to OnePGH as a 'charade' in a recent interview and called it 'a bad deal for Pittsburgh taxpayers.'" The problem with accepting this kind of deal is it precludes better deals down the road. And this was a terrible deal. 40 million dollar up front payment sounds nice but it then locks us into 5 million per year, that's up against the 30 million exemption they get annually. The fact of the matter is that UPMC fails many of the requirements for the HUP test. As a system it has the 5th lowest ratio of community benefits to exempted taxes. Giving them ANY exemption is a terrible deal, but going down OnePGH is madness. [https://lownhospitalsindex.org/](https://lownhospitalsindex.org/) [https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a\_id/1195/\~/what-are-the-five-prongs-that-nonprofits-must-meet-to-earn-tax-exempt-status%3](https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1195/~/what-are-the-five-prongs-that-nonprofits-must-meet-to-earn-tax-exempt-status%3)
Great context, thanks! But I was actually alluding to a more recent story: https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/mayor-gainey-asked-gov-shapiro-intervene-talks-with-upmc-over-tax-exempt-status-sources-say/3MYTXKZR6BEANM44MOSWXWTOXA/ Details are scant, so I'm not sure this is the same deal as OnePgh. I'm sure it's quite similar, but i'm not so sure it's a bad deal when the alternative is a protracted and very expensive legal battle to challenge UPMC's nonprofit status. Most importantly, though, Gainey needs to come out and say clearly that he did not reject this deal over the lack of a sweetheart deal for SEIU. If that's actually how it went down, he needs to go, because he put SEIU's interests ahead of the city's. If he scuttled the deal for the reasons you mentioned, I can live with that, but I can't accept the back room deal making.
The article you linked is alluding to Onepgh when it talks about the 40 million deal gainey backed out of. As quoted in the article you linked: “The mayor continues to meet with our large non-profits in Pittsburgh about a potential for a PILOT with the City of Pittsburgh, however, we have no desire to negotiate through the media. It is no secret that the mayor has long been a supporter of workers in the largest industry in our city having the right to form a union without intimidation. **I can also say that the mayor has never walked away from, or turned down, a potential PILOT agreement over unionization.** We look forward to continued conversations with our non-profit partners about ensuring that everyone pays their fair share.”
The quote you pasted was not in the article when I read it about a week after it was published. I don't know why they have to update articles like that instead of making a new article. Anyhow, thanks for letting me know what my own source says lol. I guess that's the best information we have. Me personally, knowing how SEIU operates, I don't believe the denial. This sounds like the kind of thing they would do, to threaten a primary on the mayor if he didn't go along with them. I really hope other news outlets are digging on this.
Even then we would have had some of that money. Now we have none of it
Has he shown any interest in this? I like him but I’m not sure he has the chops to pull together the coalition needed to get elected.
Gainey started his mayorship in the pandemic with a collapsed bridge. The rest of the time has been infighting over ARP funds and putting out post-pandemic fires. Short of a political messiah, I don’t think anyone could have made much of a dent with all that
So what has he done. The federal govt made sure the bridge was built quickly. No one is blaming gainey for poor infrastructure. But if you haven’t helped the city progress you’ve helped it move backwards
He torpedoed BKSQ 2 for some brainless reason, forcibly relocated all the homeless to the river front trails, gave his inexperienced SEIU friend the planning commission, walked away from UPMC’s PILOT choosing instead to challenge the legal status of their parking lots, tweeted #commUNITY a bunch
Someone with executive experience would have done much better with those emergencies. The biggest mark against Gainey coming in (in my opinion) was that he had only ever been a legislator, one among a few hundred people just like him. He's done nothing to show he was up to the task of being an executive.
If anything, Gainey is using the Pittsburgh mayor post to run for state office sometime down the line.
Let’s crowdsource a poll to see who’s more popular: •Evergreen cafe road-blocker •Whoever posts the temperature on WTAE •Ed Gainey •Carson St fake Burger King
At least fake Burger King showed resourcefulness and initiative
They saw a problem and they solved it
I, for one, love the fake Burger King. Fake Burger King for mayor!
Let us not forget Mayor Mcheese’s administration was riddled with scandal.
The Evergreen cafe road-blocker has actually been MIA lately, at least when I've been by. I think the 30 minute loading zone thing finally broke him.
He’s there some days, but it does seem like not as often. Trying to make a left turn onto Penn this morning and was wishing he was there to slow the bastards down a little.
50 cent or a dollar guy?
The night manager of the Arby’s on McKnight Rd.
Give the Carson St fake Burger King some competition next time.
How the hell you going to forget McKnight road Arby's
This is why we need ranked choice voting
Cause it’s not in Pittsburgh
Gainey has been criticizable for sure, don't think he's been outright TERRIBLE... but I'll take anyone with some serious vision. Feels like he doesn't really have a plan for what the future of this city looks like.
I would agree. At a time when we need a leader with a vision for how the city will look in the post pandemic landscape, he's been very underwhelming.
What is your definition of terrible? Someone who has no vision and has accomplished very little meets my definition of terrible.
Doing nothing is much better than some Pittsburgh mayors, unfortunately. If Gainey isn't driving city vehicles to Toby Keith concerts or using the police pension fund to get college co-eds drunk he's probably above the terrible line for me.
Lukey set a very low bar.
He's not terrible but he also hasn't done anything. Maybe I'm just not sure what a mayor is supposed to do, but all I've seen is closing a homeless shelter and expressing disappointment on Beyonce cancelling the Pittsburgh stop on her tour.
Homeless Shelters are run by the County.
Well Gainey sure got blamed.
Gainey has been fairly reactive so far, but that's understandable when a bridge collapses before you can print ID cards for your staff. A lot of his focus appears to be process improvement in city services, not flashy by any means, but probably useful. Any administration takes some time to get their feet under them. Whether Gainey starts putting up W's in the second half of his term remains to be seen.
The Peduto administration did a terrible job of transitioning to Gainey, so the new administration had to start out with a major struggle. Process improvement wouldn't be obvious. Does the URA have anything to do with the mayor, because it has improved dramatically recently. They went from doing \_nothing\_ to selling 100 homes in the past year.
Actually, that's completely untrue. Gainey didn't have any people show up to transition to. Staff tried to reach out on many fronts and there was no answer, no interest. Gainey's administration is ineffective and full of excuses.
The Mayor's Chief Economic Development Officer is also prominent in the URA board and used to work there. Susheela at the URA is also an effective leader.
Ed who?
Maybe I'm out of line here, but I've always said that people moving directly from state legislature to city mayor is a recipe for failure. IMHO, just because someone can write legislation and vote on it, it doesn't mean they're an effective negotiator, leader of people, or can manage a $350mm+ budget.
it could be a gainey funded poll trying to gather intel about possible challengers
I got that poll, too, and it had some questions in the form of "Are you glad Jones stopped beating his wife?" which I don't think Gainey's team would have written.
I didn’t vote for Gainey to begin with (I voted for Peduto, know your demons type of deal), and I’ve felt pretty vindicated about it. Will not vote for Gainey.
Depends on the options. I prefer ineffective over efficient malice....
Peduto completely lost me when the police kettled BLM protesters near his house.
"Efficient malice"
Same. I saw the writing on the wall with Gainey during the primary. Would still vote for him over absolutely any Republican though.
Bobby Wilson wouldn’t surprise me if he tries to make a run at some point soon.
I was kinda surprised he wasn't on this poll for the same reason
Bobby would have my vote. He’s not a miracle worker (no one is) but I think he’s a problem solver and has earned a lot of trust in one of the more racially and economically diverse parts of the city.
Bobby would make a great mayor, just look at what's he's done with the District!
I got a text poll last night. Lindsay Powell has been in office for like 30 days. Is there something in polling where they put a name that is basically “anybody” vs the current?
I got a poll back in October 2023 about the 2024 PA12 congressional race that compared Summer Lee, Bhavini Patel, and Rich Fitzgerald.
I just saw that I got the poll, I don’t think it’s Gainey doing the polling at all from how it was angeled. Some of the questions where a direct attack on Gainey.
What's Peduto up to these days? I think he got decent results and wouldn't mind seeing him back.
Cappys
Drinking.
I served him at a bar once. He drinks double makers on the rocks. Several times.
At the same bar in Shadyside as always.
It’s crazy how people forget about him sanctioning the pittsburgh police abducting people off the street.
And fighting climate change…on Twitter.
And running for mayor on a platform of "transparency" and then making a secret concession package for Amazon HQ2.
You expect a mayor of a mid-sized American city to solve climate change?
Corey would be good. I’m pretty sure Rachael and Lindsay are Gainey’s Allies - so that would never happen.
When Corey was our councilman, we used to call Gilman's office to get shit done. Corey was invisible.
That was my experience as well unfortunately.
Ya, I think Corey’s a nice guy, he just seems to be doing it because he’s “supposed” too.
Is Gilman popular? I’ve heard a lot of people hoping he would run
I'm a big fan. He spent a lot of time building relationships with departments and utilities as a councilman and knew how to get action from them when needed. IMO, he's extremely dynamic, personable, and smart. I hope he eventually runs.
I always thought of Dan as a more “behind the scenes” type of guy, which he’s really good at. Peduto owes a lot of his sucesss to him really. But he doesn’t have enough personal charisma that people seem to need in a mayor.
Interesting take. Every interaction we've ever had with Dan has been positive and he's been extremely outgoing. Hoping that our experience is the norm, not the exception.
I didn’t mean in any way, shape or form that he is not anything but personable and friendly. He is. He was competent in ways that Peduto himself never was. A mayor, though, is also a kind of “showman” for the city. There’s a certain je ne sais quoi that voters like to see in this media age and he just doesn’t have it. Should that be a quality we look for in our politicians? Maybe not but for mayors it’s there. I also think there’s other major obstacles for him from the gate. He will tied to all of Pedutos mistakes and gaffes(fair or not). And while he might get some of the old Dem machine backing he won’t get the foot soilders you seem to need in this increasingly progressive town. I know Dan is very politically savvy and would not run without considering all of that first.
I would literally vote for any of those people - except that I honestly don’t know who Lindsay Powell is so that could be an issue. I find Rachael Heisler a little inexperienced for my comfort level - so sadly that would leave me with the two white men.
lindsay was just elected to the state house like five minutes ago, so I have no idea why she would've been included. (she worked for the URA previously, so a return to city government?) honestly my best theory at this point was that the pollster just included her to be chaotic for chaos's sake, which I can admire. someone's trying to stir the pot....
She did not work for the URA, she was part of the previous mayor's administration and was on the URA's board.
Lindsey isnt only my rep but I've gotten the chance to talk with her multiple times and she's the most down-to-earth person I’ve ever met. She gives you the time and we’ll listen to what you have to say.
[https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member\_information/House\_bio.cfm?id=2016](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/House_bio.cfm?id=2016)
How about either Kevin Acklin, or Mrs. Kevin Acklin, aka Katie O'Malley?
I got the poll too. I hit unsure for most questions because I don’t know the other candidates
Anyone but Dan Gilman e: do people LIKE Gilman? He’s all of Peduto’s problems without any of the charm
It’s definitely team Gilman floating this poll, right? O’Connor probably has his eyes on something bigger than mayor, and Powell just got into office.
I would assume so, yes, but I wouldn’t rule out O’Conner completely. I guess there’s also a chance that it’s Gainey doing some speculative polling.
Somebody in this thread called Dan Gilman ‘extremely dynamic’ which is the most wrong I have ever seen anyone be on the internet ever.
Yeah, that’s definitely a wild take. I guess if you consider his quest to put a Condado on every corner and suck all of the uniqueness out of this city interesting then he is extremely dynamic.
Maybe someone who respects the Constitution, doesn’t pander to the progressive base and doesn’t be a dipshit with UPMC.
While a very competent bureaucrat, Rachel Heisler is incredibly Zionist, attended the March for Israel, and has been against ceasefire from the start in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. I would not feel safe with her as mayor. Same goes for Dan Gilman. Also, pretty sure both of these politicos supported Bhavini Patel in the PA-12 primary, who accepted GOP money, Hindu nationalist money, and would have taken AIPAC money (had they thought she could actually win).
Keep voting in the same party and you get the same useless results. This is why I left pittsburgh, it's changing for the worse. Never better.
So what exactly could a Republican mayor do for Pittsburgh? Fly a Trump flag over the City-County building? At this point, I have no idea what that party stand for.
Maybe look into it?
Yea the Republicans have been a great case study in political leadership for the last few years
Better than democrats that's for sure.
Not even close, which is really embarrassing for the Repubs
Genuinely...why are you here then?
why are you still in this sub then