Democratic control of the U.S. House and a Braddock resident in the lieutenant governor's seat are both valuable sources of support for the Pittsburgh region in 2019, according to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
He was joined by Mayor Bill Peduto on The Confluence Thursday. The pair answered listener-submitted questions about infrastructure, gun legislation, voting preparedness, affordable housing and more.
Peduto lauded his cabinet's diversity when he took office in 2014, but has since suffered multiple personnel changes. He says those shifts aren't permanent, and he's still committed to hiring people of color to the city's top non-elected offices.
“All but one member of our planning commission is a woman, which has never happened in the city’s history before,” he said.
Improving local workforce development tops Fitzgerald's 2019 to do list, he says. The county executive emphasized training programs like those at the Community College of Allegheny.
Peduto says he hopes to finish a study on Urban Redevelopment Authority restructuring soon.
“The needs of our city are very much different than they were in the 1950s and the 1960s,” he says. Restructuring will better enable the city to serve those needs, according to Peduto.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators join veteran journalist Kevin Gavin, taking an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
