Some Pittsburghers will have another decision to make this November. As Corey O’Connor takes on the role of Allegheny County Controller, he leaves a vacancy on Pittsburgh City Council behind him. At the council’s regular meeting Tuesday, officials announced that a special election to replace O’Connor would be held at the same time as the general election: Nov. 8.
Pennsylvania election law mandates that special elections for vacancies that occur within 120 days of a general election must take place during the general election. According to City Clerk Brenda Pree, the order to hold the contest will be issued Wednesday.
Pittsburgh will follow the same election schedule as Allegheny County, according to Pree. That gives would-be candidates have until Sept. 19 to circulate petitions and file nomination papers.
O’Connor has served on City Council since 2012. He has represented District 5, which encompasses Glen Hazel, Greenfield, Hays, Hazelwood, Lincoln Place, New Homestead, Regent Square, Swisshelm Park and part of Squirrel Hill.
Months before O’Connor was confirmed by the state Senate to become Allegheny County Controller, Greenfield community advocate Barb Warwick announced a campaign to replace him. She told WESA in May that her interest in running was spurred by the fight over the Mon Oakland Connector, a controversial and since-discarded proposal to create a roadway for a shuttle-bus system between Oakland and Hazelwood.
Warwick said in May that District 5 has “some of the most powerful and influential people in Pittsburgh, as well as some of the poorest and most vulnerable — and everything in between. … So we really need someone on City Council who is active in the community.”
On Tuesday evening, another candidate launched a campaign for the open seat: former City Councilor Doug Shields, who represented District 5 from 2004 to 2012. Shields was also council president from 2006 to 2010.
“With attacks on our freedoms and our communities, I see the need for strong leadership in Pittsburgh now, more than ever," Shields said in a press release. "Pittsburgh needs to be a city that works for the people.”
