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Mayor Gainey talks OnePGH, police staffing levels, and Pittsburgh Public Schools’ new superintendent

The Democratic Party candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh in the 2021 election, Ed Gainey, addresses the people gathered for Pennsylvania's Democratic attorney general Josh Shapiro's campaign launch for Pennsylvania governor, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
Keith Srakocic
/
AP
The Democratic Party candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh in the 2021 election, Ed Gainey, addresses the people gathered for Pennsylvania's Democratic attorney general Josh Shapiro's campaign launch for Pennsylvania governor, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in Pittsburgh.

On today’s episode of The Confluence:

Mayor Ed Gainey says the goals of his administration and OnePGH were not aligned
(0:00 - 14:07)

On July 13, the Gainey administration announced it was severing ties with the OnePGH fund, an initiative launched by former Mayor Bill Peduto that looked to address local nonprofits' tax exempt status.

Peduto announced in April 2021 that he had secured $115 million in contributions from UPMC, Highmark, the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University over five years to fund measures such as affordable housing and education.

Mayor Ed Gainey says his administration decided to sever ties with the OnePGH nonprofit to go in a different direction because his administration’s priority is Pittsburgh’s Pathways to Prosperity, a program through Pittsburgh Public Schools.

“It is something that I believe that we have to work on when we talk about really connecting PPS and the rest of our school districts to growth sector industries,” says Gainey.

He says his team is talking to some nonprofits, but only named Allegheny Health Network, and teased that he may have a related announcement in the future.

Gainey also discussed his plan to establish “right policing,” in the city’s police bureau, a police staffing survey that’s currently underway, and the appointment of Wayne Walters as superintendent of PPS.

‘100 Things To Do In Pittsburgh Before You Die’ shares what tourists and residents can enjoy in the city
(14:12 - 29:30)

When one says to themselves, “There’s nothing to do this weekend in Pittsburgh,” journalist Rossilynne Skena Culgan would beg to differ.

Her book, “100 Things to Do in Pittsburgh Before You Die” includes a hundred quintessentially local experiences, divided into categories: food and drink, culture and history, and more.

“One of the hardest parts of writing this book was narrowing down the list. I, for many years, have kept a 'Pittsburgh to do list',” says Skena Culgan. “When this book came about, I organized that into different categories… and tried to figure out what were both interesting things for visitors as well as for people who've lived here all their life.”

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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