Saying he wants to "restore hope" in Pittsburgh's government and future growth, City Councilman William Peduto officially announced he is running for mayor this morning.

The 40-year-old Point Breeze man laid out a broad platform that included cutting government spending, using community input to develop city neighborhoods, preserving buildings and the environment, and cracking down on graffiti and other nuisance crimes.

The councilman has already been on the mayoral campaign trail for weeks but did not make the run official until his campaign reached its goals of collecting $200,000 in donations and signing up more than 200 volunteers.

Peduto still has less money in his campaign chest that the two other major candidates for the Democratic nomination for mayor -- county Prothonotary Michael Lamb and former Council President Bob O'Connor -- and plans to run for re-election to his District 8 council seat at the same time.

But he told reporters at a South Side news conference that he does not feel like an underdog in the race, saying he has proven his leadership skills on council -- by being the first city official to call for Act 47 distressed status for the city -- and is the candidate best suited to make the city attractive to young people and to future economic growth.

Peduto, a hockey player, noted that the United States Olympic hockey team won a gold medal 25 years ago today, two days after beating the favored Soviet Union team in the so-called "Miracle on Ice."

"I still believe in miracles and I know we can win this campaign and build a new Pittsburgh," Peduto said.

The primary is May 17.

Besides running against O'Connor and Lamb for the Democratic nod for mayor, Peduto is matched up against Downtown lawyer Harlan Stone for the party's endorsement for his council seat.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.