Tuesday, Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor will announce his plans to run for Mayor of Pittsburgh.
Channel 11′s Susan Koeppen sat down with him ahead of the announcement.
Koeppen: “What do you see as some of the things that need to change in our city?”
O’Connor: “Well, obviously, you have a lack of leadership. There’s no vision for where we’re going to be in five to ten years. I think neighborhoods are not getting the funding that they deserve. And I see a lack of leadership in our public safety department. When you go out and hire a police chief with a backroom deal that that chief can work part-time that’s not paying attention to our needs.”
O’Connor is talking about current mayor Ed Gainey’s deal with now former police chief Larry Scirotto, allowing Scirotto to work as a college basketball referee on the side.
O’Connor’s plan to run for mayor means he will face off with Gainey in a Democratic Primary in the spring of 2025.
Koeppen: “Do you have a vision for where you would like to see Pittsburgh go?”
O’Connor: “It starts with neighborhoods and I always go back to the old main street theory. If you put a million dollars into a business district, a major intersection in each neighborhood, you start with the heard of the neighborhood and you build out. And that creates an environment where people want to live here. When is the last time we talked about major companies expanding here or coming here for the first time? I think it’s a lack of vision and lack of the ability to see the big opportunites that are around us in Pittsburgh.”
Koeppen: “Your father, the late Bob O’Connor, was the mayor of Pittsburgh. What did you learn from him watching him lead the city?”
O’Connor: “I think that’s a great question. And he had a sign on his desk and I have it. And it’s the number one priority of this job is the people of Pittsburgh. The people make up the heart of the city and they are caring. They want to see their city grow.”
O’Connor’s official announcement is expected Tuesday morning.
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