Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said he is continuing to do his job and is helping the next mayor transition into office.
Ravenstahl spoke to reporters Wednesday at a ribbon cutting of a new energy-efficient development in the South Side. The event came at the same time that acting Pittsburgh police Chief Regina McDonald and Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson were testifying before a federal grand jury investigating the possibility that city funds might have been misused by officers as high up as former police Chief Nate Harper.
He said he had “no idea” what the two police officials were testifying and he hadn’t “talked with either one of them” about it.
“I have nothing new to update from my perspective, in regards to the grand jury investigation,” said Ravenstahl. “So, from my perspective, nothing has really changed and perhaps the U.S. Attorney’s office can answer better.”
In the meantime, the mayor’s office posted a message from Ravenstahl Wednesday “celebrating seven years of success.” He said, to fairly evaluate his time in office, people have to look at his full seven years and not just a specific month or date.
Ravenstahl said it hasn’t been difficult to govern with the grand jury investigation ongoing.
“Residents have really seen no change in the way that men and women in respective departments have done their job and it certainly hasn’t effected me,” said Ravenstahl. “It’s there. There’s no doubt about that. But we have to continue to do what we’re doing, and we’ve done that.”
Ravenstahl said the mayor’s office is in transition, so he isn’t invited to do as many events or meetings.
He presumes Councilman Peduto will win the mayor’s race and is happy that Peduto has offered to continue most of his administration’s projects.
When Ravenstahl was asked about comments Peduto made about the mayor being more absent recently, the mayor said he wasn’t going to get into a “back and forth” with him.
“If he feels the need to continue to obsess over me and talk about me, that’s fine. That’s within his right,” said Ravenstahl. “I certainly don’t intend to reciprocate and really have nothing but my reinforced commitment to helping him in anyway I can as he prepares to become the mayor.”
Ravenstahl said he has only met with the councilman twice recently. Once at a Pirates game and another at a formal meeting in his office. He said his staff has been in contact with Peduto’s though.
