Organizations named in unsealed warrant accusing Gainey administration of no-bid contracts speak out
In light of the allegations made by the Allegheny County district attorney claiming corruption against former Mayor Ed Gainey for awarding no-bid contracts, recipients said their work is vital and transparent to the city.
The unsealed warrants paint a picture of organizations getting city money with no oversight into how that money is used. More than two dozen are named in the warrants. Now some are fighting back on the allegations.
"When 1Hood Media receives grants, we have to do reporting on what we did with that grant money," 1Hood Media co-founder and CEO Jasiri X said in the organization's social media video.
Other organizations like BikePGH were surprised to be named in the warrant. In a statement, the group says it wants clarification about being named and feels it's a mistake. The group added, "We have always been transparent about where our funding comes from and how it supports our mission, and this information is publicly and comprehensively available online."
Much of the district attorney's focus is on the Stop the Violence grants, which his investigation claims received no-bid contracts.
"The last Stop the Violence grant was a reimbursable grant, which means that we had to spend our organization's money and in order to receive that money, we had to provide receipts for all of the work that we do," Jasiri X said in the video.
Another organization jumping to show it's accountable with tax money is the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.
In a statement, it said its work with the city has formal agreements, clearly defined work and publicly available documentation. It added, "We take our responsibility as a steward of public and private resources seriously and remain committed to transparency and accountability in everything we do."
