Pittsburgh mayoral candidates Gainey, Moreno outline their visions for city's future

Mayoral candidates clashed Monday night over their visions for Downtown Pittsburgh, whether Wilkinsburg should merge into the city and how to improve relationships between police and residents across all 90 of the city’s neighborhoods.

With four weeks until election day, Democratic nominee Ed Gainey and Republican challenger Tony Moreno participated in a question-and-answer forum for the public hosted by the 1Hood Power civic advocacy group.

Gainey, a five-term state lawmaker of Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood, is striving to become the city’s first Black mayor after topping incumbent Mayor Bill Peduto in the May primary.

“Together, we will make this city the safest, most affordable and the most diverse city in America,” Gainey said. “I can’t wait to become your next mayor and to serve you in a way that moves the city forward.”

Moreno, a retired 24-year Pittsburgh police officer of Brighton Heights, placed third on the Democratic primary ballot but garnered enough write-in votes to appear on November’s ballot as a Republican contender. He pitched himself as a political outsider competing against a seasoned politician, Gainey, who Moreno argued has not brought enough meaningful changes to his hometown.

“I’m not the politician here, Pittsburgh,” Moreno told viewers of the online forum. “I know what it’s like to be in the community and look up at our elected officials and ask why things aren’t getting done that need to be.”

Gainey countered that the local constituents, community groups and organizations he’s worked with and advocated alongside for years would have plenty to say about progress he’s helped to achieve in recent years. He spoke of wanting to “build bridges” and foster unity over division.

Pittsburgh has not elected a Republican mayor since the 1930s.

Moreno made clear at the start of the forum that he’s not running based on any particular loyalty to the Republican Party.

“The only reason I have an ‘R’ behind my name or I had a ‘D’ behind my name was so I could become the mayor of Pittsburgh,” Moreno said. “Let’s make very clear that this isn’t a political race anymore, this is a people race,” he said. “I’m here to represent all 90 neighborhoods … and make the neighborhoods the No. 1 priority.

“Our current politicians make us beg them for the services we deserve and need. Instead, I’m going to serve you.”

Forum covers public safety, economy, housing

The hour-long forum moderated by 1Hood’s Khari Mosley and Miracle Jones was pre-recorded and broadcast Monday night via the 1Hood Power YouTube channel and posted to Facebook.

Both candidates agreed on several overarching priorities, including the need for cultivating safer neighborhoods by reducing crime and rebuilding public trust in government and law enforcement.

Both spoke of the urgent need to support and enrich struggling communities through carefully planned development and incentives that not only draw in new business owners but also empower existing ones.

Each had different ways of framing some of the city’s biggest problems and potential solutions.

Moreno accused existing city administration of “strangling business” in the city. He spoke of wanting to root out corruption, “clean house” and put an end to political favors and cronyism he argues has “ruined neighborhoods” and benefited deep-pocketed developers at the expense of hindering growth.

“I”m not here to throw stones at anybody,” Gainey said. “We can build a city that we’ve long, long wanted to have — a city for all. A city where everybody is included. A city that leaves no neighborhood behind, that brings communities together.”

Differing visions for Downtown Pittsburgh

The pair sparred over the best way to continue growing and improving Downtown Pittsburgh.

“Downtown must become a neighborhood if we’re really going to save Downtown,” Gainey said. “We need to diversify our portfolio and create more affordable housing.”

Moreno said that investment instead should be directed into better infrastructure such as parking and recruiting more business into the area while addressing crime, mental health challenges and homelessness.

“We can’t have housing Downtown, we need to have more business. We need to make it friendly for tourism and for the cultural arts,” Moreno said. “If we don’t have a safe, clean city and we don’t have businesses here, we’re going to fail. Right now our pension might implode if we don’t bring businesses back here.”

Gainey said that the goals of safer neighborhoods as well as the need for affordable housing not only Downtown but throughout the city’s most struggling areas should be viewed as public health crises. He emphasized the need to hire and train more social workers and other efforts aimed at supporting youths and families in need.

“You could put 1,000 cops on every block and they can’t stop the violence. They can make the arrests after the crime is committed. Then it becomes a public safety problem,” said Gainey. “But what we have right now is a public health issue. …. We need a plan to address violence, or violence is not going to stop.”

Improving police, public trust

Moreno took issue with Gainey’s use of “public health crisis.”

“I don’t know why he keeps saying it’s a health problem when it’s finances that drive violence,” Moreno said.

“If the state representative knew anything about de-escalation in law enforcement, he would know that the first step in de-escalation is officer presence,” Moreno said. “Where the highest violence is, we need to have a police officer on every corner until the violence stops. … We just can’t say it’s a public health problem because it’s not. It’s a financial problem.”

Rooting out corruption within the police department should be a top priority, Moreno said.

“We have to end the corruption. I want to know who my opponent is going to fire first,” said Moreno, who vowed to improve vetting of police hires and make sure that those who get promoted demonstrate honesty, transparency and empathy. “The only way to build trust is to be there and to be accountable and be transparent.”

There’s an urgent need to “de-militarize” the police, according to Gainey.

“We have a military-style mindset when it comes to policing. We can’t afford to be at war with our own people,” Gainey said. “We need to get back to police officers walking the beat and building the trust that has eroded so that we have a positive relationship between police and community.”

Gainey called for more efforts to de-escalate volatile situations and halt the “overpolicing of low-income black and brown neighborhoods” that creates an “us vs. them” mentality among residents, Gainey said.

“If my opponent knew what was really happening inside the police department and on the street, he would know that I’ve taught de-escalation in the crisis intervention course, which is a 40-hour course that every city of Pittsburgh police officer gets before they get on the streets. It’s how to identify people with mental illness,” Moreno said. “There is a plan in place, there is just bad leadership that prevents us seeing it on the street”

Should Wilkinsburg become part of Pittsburgh?

Gainey said it’s not up for him to decide whether the borough of Wilkinsburg should merge with the city of Pittsburgh — a proposal supported by a nonprofit-led petition but panned by the majority of Wilkinsburg Borough Bouncil.

“Let Wilkinsburg decide their own fate,” Gainey said. “This shouldn’t be pushed by politics, this should be pushed by the people of that community.”

Moreno said that based on his conversations, he’s not sure that a merger would be in the best interest of Wilkinsburg. He suggested that the people of Wilkinsburg have been misled in believing that a merger would indeed lead to a smooth transition and better services.

“It’s a land grab,” Moreno said of the proposed consolidation. He cited concerns over “secret” meetings happening that do not involve public input.

Gainey said that should the people of the borough indeed decide they want to be part of Pittsburgh, “We will do what’s necessary to ensure a smooth transition.” He suggested the city could help share services provided by the likes of public works and fire officials.

The mayoral forum was part of the 1Hood Power’s larger Statewide Candidate Fall Forums initiative. 1Hood Power is a nonprofit whose mission is to hold politicians accountable and develop political leadership through issue advocacy and civic education initiatives. It is an arm of 1Hood Media, a Pittsburgh-based collective of artists and activists that use art to raise awareness for social issues.

Next week, 1Hood will broadcast a similar event featuring candidates for Pittsburgh City Council and Allegheny County Council.

The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The last day to register to vote in Allegheny County for the election is Oct. 18. The deadline to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot is Oct. 26.

Watch archived video of the mayoral forum at 1Hood’s YouTube channel or Facebook page.