4 incumbents, ex-mayor's son garner wins for Pittsburgh City Council
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After a year of tumultuous relations between Pittsburgh City Council and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, voters declined to make wholesale changes on council.
They renominated three incumbents who have clashed with Mr. Ravenstahl -- President Darlene Harris, District 3 incumbent Bruce Kraus and District 7 Councilman Patrick Dowd -- and a fourth incumbent, District 9's Ricky Burgess, who has generally supported the mayor.
Meanwhile, Corey O'Connor of Squirrel Hill, son of late mayor and councilman Bob O'Connor, won the Democratic nomination for the District 5 seat held by his father from 1992 to 2003.
Only Mr. O'Connor faces a Republican opponent in November, Josh Wander of Squirrel Hill, who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination in District 5. No Republican ran in the other four races, and the GOP hasn't won a Pittsburgh council seat since 1935.
In the closest race of the day, Ms. Harris, of Spring Hill, narrowly defeated the mayor's preferred candidate, Vince Pallus of Brighton Heights, for the Democratic nomination.
"I feel good," she said Tuesday night as the final votes were counted and her slim lead held up.
Mrs. Harris, seeking her second term, said during the campaign that her opposition to Mr. Ravenstahl's proposal to lease the city's parking assets to private investors to rescue the pension fund caused the mayor to seek her defeat.
She supported an alternate plan for bailing out the pension fund, using $735 million in parking tax revenue over the next three decades. Council overrode the mayor's veto to enact it.
Mr. Ravenstahl made his enmity for the council president clear in a statement during the campaign in which he said her "sole focus is on getting jobs for her relatives and flushing millions into irresponsible pet projects that benefit few and bankrupt our city."
Mrs. Harris said Tuesday night that she "can work with anyone" but said the mayor has repeatedly passed on a standing invitation to have weekly meetings with council.
Tax accountant Steven Oberst of Brighton Heights and Bobby Wilson of Spring Hill finished well behind in the Democratic voting.
The district featured a bitter battle between Mr. Kraus and the man he defeated four years ago, former councilman Jeff Koch of Arlington.
First Published May 18, 2011 12:48 am
