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(Vote for one) TERM: 4 years SALARY: $65,836DUTIES: Audits all city funds; conducts performance audits of all agencies, trusts and council at least once every 4 years. Position shared with Pittsburgh Public Schools, which pays $15,255 of salary. QUESTION: What specific procedures could be used to streamline the operation of your office? Republican/Democrat Tom FlahertyAge: 49; Point Breeze EDUCATION: Central Catholic High School; Duquesne University, B.A.; Duquesne University School of Law, J.D. OCCUPATION: Pittsburgh City Controller QUALIFICATIONS: Two-term state representative; one-term City Council member; current City Controller; conducted 160 fiscal and performance audits; consistently awarded National Annual Certificate of Excellence for Accounting and Financial Reporting. ANSWER: The City Controller's staff has already streamlined the office. Reduced number of full-time positions from 106 to 72. Created new programs to locate and return money refunds to taxpayers faster. Cut processing time for vendor checks from one week to three days. Hired professional staff including more than 15 CPAs. Accelerated Controller's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report to the citizenry, speeding up its presentation from mid-summer to May 1. Pittsburgh City Council, District 1 (Vote for one in your district) TERM: 4 years SALARY: $47,470 DUTIES: Council consists of nine members elected by district by the city of Pittsburgh voters. The legislative power is vested in the council. Council members in odd-numbered districts are elected 2 years after the even-numbered district members are elected. QUESTION: Do you support requiring companies who benefit from our tax dollars through contracting with or receiving taxpayer subsidies from the city of Pittsburgh to pay a living wage (approximately $9/hr.) to their workers to ensure a decent standard of living in the city of Pittsburgh? Republican No Candidate Filed Democrat Barbara A. BurnsAge: 51; East Allegheny/North Side EDUCATION: Chatham College, B.A., Communications, 1982 OCCUPATION: Coordinator, Vacant Property Working Group QUALIFICATIONS: Twenty year volunteer community leader serving neighborhood organizations promoting neighborhood economic development and blight removal; former state representative; 10 years as elected Pittsburgh Public school board director (5 years as president); 10 years as legislative aide to state representative. ANSWER: Yes, I support a living wage and think it is a goal toward which we should continually strive. However, the City of Pittsburgh is not an island. If this was a requirement of every company that did business with the city, many neighborhood businesses could not participate and many small development projects would not be financially feasible. I would base this requirement on project or contract size. Major construction programs, such as the stadiums or the convention center, should be required to pay a living wage to their employees. I also support efforts to insure city residents a fair chance at construction jobs related to these projects. Smaller contracts or community projects should remain exempt from the requirement. City Council, District 3 (Vote for one in your district) TERM: 4 years SALARY: $47,470 DUTIES: Council consists of nine members elected by district by the city of Pittsburgh voters. The legislative power is vested in the council. Council members in odd-numbered districts are elected 2 years after the even-numbered district members are elected. QUESTION: Do you support requiring companies who benefit from our tax dollars through contracting with or receiving taxpayer subsidies from the city of Pittsburgh to pay a living wage (approximately $9/hr.) to their workers to ensure a decent standard of living in the city of Pittsburgh? Republican No Candidate Filed Democrat Gene RicciardiAge: 45; South Side EDUCATION: University of Pittsburgh, master's-Urban and Regional Planning, 1979; Duquesne University, B.A., Sociology/Political Science, 1976; South Side Catholic High School. OCCUPATION: Member, Pittsburgh City Council; Urban Planner. QUALIFICATIONS: Government experience, community involvement and a commitment to the job. ANSWER: As sponsor of the "Living Wage" bill in Pittsburgh City Council, I am in full support of a living wage to employees of companies who benefit from our tax dollars. The taxpayers across the city of Pittsburgh have generously paid millions in grants, loans, subsidies, tax abatements and other forms of assistance to businesses to create employment opportunities for Pittsburgh workers. The least we can expect is that these companies will treat their most modestly paid workers responsibly and pay them a living wage. City Council, District 5 (Vote for one in your district) TERM: 4 years SALARY: $47,470 DUTIES: Council consists of nine members elected by district by the city of Pittsburgh voters. The legislative power is vested in the council. Council members in odd-numbered districts are elected 2 years after the even-numbered district members are elected. QUESTION: Do you support requiring companies who benefit from our tax dollars through contracting with or receiving taxpayer subsidies from the city of Pittsburgh to pay a living wage (approximately $9/hr.) to their workers to ensure a decent standard of living in the city of Pittsburgh? Republican No Candidate Filed Democrat Bob O'ConnorAge: 55; Squirrel Hill EDUCATION: Taylor Allderdice High School, 1962 OCCUPATION: President of Council, City of Pittsburgh QUALIFICATIONS: Elected Councilman 5th District, 1992 and 1996; elected Council President, 1998; former Vice President-Operations, Pappan/Roy Rogers Enterprises; board memberships, St. Francis Hospital and Health Foundation; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance; Carnegie Mellon University; La Roche College and Carnegie Institute; founder, Center for Grieving Children. ANSWER: In a word -- yes. If the city is going to defer or give up tax revenue in support of a private development, the city has a right to expect a benefit in return. To ask for $9 per/hour ($18,720 annually) is more than fair. I also introduced legislation, which passed in council, giving Pittsburghers access to good paying jobs in the building/construction trades industry. It serves no one’s interests to keep working people poor. Good paying jobs are good for everyone -- it strengthens our local economy and tax base, lowers crime, improves the overall quality of life and lessens the need for government and nonprofit subsidies to assist low-income working families. A good paying job is a benefit to us all. City Council, District 7 (Vote for one in your district) TERM: 4 years SALARY: $47,470 DUTIES: Council consists of nine members elected by district by the city of Pittsburgh voters. The legislative power is vested in the council. Council members in odd-numbered districts are elected 2 years after the even-numbered district members are elected. QUESTION: Do you support requiring companies who benefit from our tax dollars through contracting with or receiving taxpayer subsidies from the city of Pittsburgh to pay a living wage (approximately $9/hr.) to their workers to ensure a decent standard of living in the city of Pittsburgh? Republican No Candidate Filed Democrat Jim Ferlo(No Reply) City Council, District 9 (Vote for one in your district) TERM: 4 years SALARY: $47,470 DUTIES: Council consists of nine members elected by district by the city of Pittsburgh voters. The legislative power is vested in the council. Council members in odd-numbered districts are elected 2 years after the even-numbered district members are elected. QUESTION: Do you support requiring companies who benefit from our tax dollars through contracting with or receiving taxpayer subsidies from the city of Pittsburgh to pay a living wage (approximately $9/hr.) to their workers to ensure a decent standard of living in the city of Pittsburgh? Republican No Candidate Filed Democrat Valerie A. McDonaldAge: 44; East Hills EDUCATION: University of Pittsburgh, M.S.-Forensic Chemistry, B.A.-Medical Technology OCCUPATION: Council member, City of Pittsburgh QUALIFICATIONS: Common sense is the most critical qualification for City Council and all government officials. Also ardent advocacy for the entire city, its varied neighborhoods, Downtown, its children, schools and institutions. ANSWER: The indisputable requirement to companies benefiting from city of Pittsburgh tax dollars should be to hire Pittsburghers first and foremost for construction and post-construction jobs. It would be inherently unfair to mandate only these companies to pay living wages and let other businesses off the hook. The living wage is a broader quality of life issue that goes beyond simply attaching it to tax increment financing. I support living wages, but this concept can only be realized if there are checks and balances put in place to prevent erosion of increased earnings by increased costs of goods and services. I don’t want businesses to make up any losses in their profit margins on the very backs of those who benefited from receiving a living wage. We the People Duane R. Wright (No Reply)Pittsburgh School Board candidates
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