Public safety, economic development at top of agenda for Democratic primary winner

PITTSBURGH — Democratic nominee for Pittsburgh mayor Corey O’Connor made a number of promises on the campaign trail.

One focused on the police bureau and improving public safety, and another focused on development and growth in the city.

O’Connor has said he was concerned about crime and the declining number of police officers. He has vowed to increase the number of officers.

He has also said he was troubled by the lack of economic development and the reluctance of the current administration to work with developers.

Earle spoke with a local developer to get his take on O’Connor’s commitment to growth.

“You have to have that leadership and vision and I think for the last four years, we’ve not had the leadership,” said Todd Reidbord, the President of Walnut Capital Management, responsible for projects such as Bakery Square in East Liberty.

Reidbord expressed frustration about the past four years, but said he’s now looking forward after a Corey O’Connor win.

Reidbord said he’s confident O’Connor’s commitment to development will spur growth, economic development and jobs.

“We have this beautiful AI avenue here with over 26 AI companies creating technology for the world, whether it’s national security, medical technology, our current administration never embraced that. Corey has that vision. He knows that those are the kinds of things that create prosperity for everybody in Pittsburgh,” Reidbord said.

“We will make our city government deliver, deliver a police force that is large enough to support our residents and have a chief of police,” O’Connor said during his victory speech at Nova Place Tuesday night.

In addition to working with developers, the democratic nominee also promised to bolster the dwindling number of police officers to tackle crime.

The force that had more than a thousand officers under the previous administration has now been reduced to 750.

And during the past four years, the bureau has had five police chiefs.

“It’s not adequately staffed and it’s not adequately supervised and not adequately led,” said Beth Pittinger, the Executive Director of the Citizen Police Review Board.

Pittinger said she welcomes both O’Connor’s and Republican nominee and retired Pittsburgh police officer Tony Moreno’s commitment to public safety.

“From now to November, we should have some serious discussions about public safety, and what do the people of the city of Pittsburgh need and what do they want, how they want it provided,” said Pittinger.

O’Connor has said hiring a police chief would be one of his top priorities.

He said he will not conduct a national search like the Gainey administration did, but look at those already in the ranks or who have recently left the department.

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