Tracy Lawless' Vision for a Thriving Downtown Community
Written By: DJ Kreiss
Tracy Lawless, a Government Affairs Counselor at K&L Gates, has been serving her Pittsburgh community from the very start. As an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh she was involved in the Institute of Politics with the intent to enter the local political scene. She ended up working with Congressman William Coyne as he represented Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania’s 14th congressional district at the federal level.
Her career has revolved around human wellbeing with projects like the Americans with Disabilities Act, veteran benefits programs, Medicare, and other human services policies in the pharmacological, nutritional, and research science sectors. Through her work on political campaigns, she has been able to grow her network and base of resources to further politically advocate for her community.
Downtown events on weekends have high attendance turnouts, but Lawless believes that more retail locations will attract more residents to visit downtown on weekdays. While Pittsburgh has a thriving restaurant scene downtown, a larger retail presence would allow workers to run quick errands during their lunch hour. Introducing more retail locations will amplify opportunities for revenue brought in from visiting tourists, and support locally owned and operated franchises while creating more job opportunities for Pittsburgh residents.
She noted that with the addition of bright storefronts that displace antisocial activities on sidewalks, it is the community’s obligation, personally and professionally, to keep unhoused people in mind and encourage ways to support them through public policy.
“We have an extraordinary, vibrant professional young and middle-aged presence downtown”, she said. With the progression of the urbanization projects, she hopes to see this trend continue with young professionals and families moving into the downtown community and surrounding neighborhoods.
Tracy Lawless is committed to making Pittsburgh remain a top-tier city for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.
