A Recap of the Downtown Town Hall With Mayor Ed Gainey
By Olivia Miller
To put it in Mayor Ed Gainey’s words, the Downtown Town Hall last Thursday “[showed] how much we love our city.”
The event, which took place in the Union Trust Building’s 10th Floor Theater, saw close to 400 people in attendance with another 100 plus Pittsburghers watching the livestream. The crowd diversely reflected the Downtown ecosystem and included residents, business owners, local government officials, as well as representatives from local school districts and non-profits.
Emceed by senior manager of Pittsburgh neighborhood services, Rebekkah Ranallo, the event featured a panel composed of Amanda Schaub, Executive Director of BOMA Pittsburgh, John Valentine, Executive Director of the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, Jeremy Waldrup, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, as well as Mayor Ed Gainey.
After each panelist introduced their organization and gave a brief overview of their past work and future goals regarding cleanliness, safety, youth outreach, and commerce in the city, Mayor Ed Gainey descended from the stage into the crowd to speak directly with his constituents. He promised the audience an honest, transparent, and constructive conversation, saying, “I’m not bringing you a hypothetical and making it sound good. I’m going to show you the plan and let you be the judge.”
One of the most pressing issues discussed at the town hall was safety. To address this, Mayor Gainey announced that the police presence in Downtown would be increased to include eighteen officers, one lieutenant, and two sergeants working out of a new public safety center. 2023 will also see a new police chief by April and the first police class in two years. Through investment and partnerships with OCHS and ROOTS, the police department will also host de-escalation training for the public.
The Mayor also addressed the nationwide issue of youth gun violence, posing the important question, “What are we doing if we’re not protecting our children?” With over 2200 students attending school in Pittsburgh and transferring downtown, chief operating officer Lisa Frank says, the city is committed to “offering hope and connectivity” to the students through investing in anti-violence organizations, building strong relationships with local schools and working with local youth outreach organizations.
The city’s cleanliness was addressed through a multi-million dollar investment in the Department of Public Works. Downtown will receive an intensive spring cleaning this year which includes power washing alleyways and beautifying storefront displays. In the future, the city will establish safe and clean public restrooms.
