After a busy election season in the fall, many in Pittsburgh — including College Democrats at Pitt — are turning their attention towards the Democratic mayoral primary.
Mayor Ed Gainey and his challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, addressed key issues such as public safety, affordable housing, city finances and Donald Trump’s return to the presidency 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 the first challenger to unseat the incumbent mayor of Pittsburgh since 1933 when he was elected mayor in 2021. Previously, he served as a state representative in Pennsylvania’s 24th District. O’Connor, the son of the late Mayor Bob O’Connor, served in city council for 10 years before former Gov. Tom Wolf appointed him county controller in 2022.

(Alex Jurkuta | Visual Editor)
Regarding the housing crisis happening across the country and in Pittsburgh, Gainey said he is committed to affordable housing. He referenced the city receiving 12 competitive low-income housing tax credit deals to build more affordable housing.
Gainey also said he supports inclusionary zoning to open up more affordable housing. His plan, which recently passed the city planning commission, would require 10% of housing to be affordable across all Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
“We 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,” Gainey said.
One of Gainey’s major selling points in this campaign has been a decrease in homicides in Pittsburgh, a rate that decreased nationally.
“At the end of the day, the homicides went down — not by a little bit, close to 35% we reduced homicides,” Gainey said. “And that means something to me.”
He also noted the nearly $600 million that the city received to reinvest in downtown, including in public spaces like Market Square and in public safety.
Gainey reaffirmed the stance he took at a recent press conference, where he said his administration will not work with ICE.
“My job is to keep the city safe, and I’ve been working from day one to keep this city safe,” Gainey said.
O’Connor criticized the Gainey administration’s spending and operations and said he is running for office because he thinks “we deserve better as a city.”
“Right now, we see an administration that is managing decline instead of talking about growth,” O’Connor said. “I see a city that’s not able to provide basic city services.”

(Alex Jurkuta | Visual Editor)
O’Connor criticized Gainey’s inclusionary zoning policies. He cited the Housing Opportunity Fund as an example of how to approach affordable housing and said that though he voted for inclusive zoning in Lawrenceville, each neighborhood is different.
“When 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,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor also criticized Gainey’s administration for its spending of $335 million in COVID relief money.
“We 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,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor stated another priority of his is “cleaning up” zoning code in a way that streamlines the process and encourages investment in Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh is not welcoming to people that want to build any type of housing, regardless of what it is,” O’Connor said. “And 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.”
O’Connor, like Gainey, said he would not work with ICE. O’Connor 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.
“I 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,” O’Connor said. “We have to have that ability, and for other cities to cooperate with them creates a bigger safety issue for those residents.”

(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.
“I think we got some good answers to people,” Cohen, a junior political science and urban planning major, said.