Mayor Ed Gainey, Democratic challenger Corey O'Connor participate in fireside chat, debate
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh mayoral race is heating up ahead of the 2025 May primary election.
The Democratic primary could be close between current Mayor Ed Gainey and his top challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor.
On Sunday afternoon, the two debated some of Pittsburgh's top issues, including taxes, zoning changes, community-police relations, community safety, and how to build the city's future.
The event was part of the 14th Ward Democratic Committee.
One hot-button issue of the discussion was the city budget.
"We didn't have to raise taxes. We stretched that penny thin. Being in this situation calls for us to make hard choices. We did that. We finished this year with a $4 million surplus," Gainey said.
"What happened with that money? You took our public safety and decreased our officers. You did not fill in our officers. Talk about transparency? That's not how you build a city of the future. You are not investing in the future, you're plugging holes to get by during an election season," O'Connor argued.
While at the event, KDKA-TV also tried to get a comment from Mayor Gainey on why his chief of staff recently resigned, but his campaign wouldn't allow him to talk about it.
Jake Wheatley served as chief of staff for the last three years. It's still unclear why Wheatley stepped down. Kyle Chintalapalli has been tapped to replace Wheatley.
While Gainey and O'Connor are running for mayor on the Democratic ticket, two Republican candidates are also vying for the job. They are Thomas West, a Lawrenceville business owner and former TV producer, and Tony Moreno, a former police officer who ran for mayor four years ago.
The primary is set for May 20, 2025.
