Randall Taylor

What’s in a name? For candidates in City Council District 9, the answer has been “a lot of aggravation,” as a series of recent Commonwealth Court rulings has affirmed they can all remain on the ballot.

Taken together, the rulings also largely uphold some standard practices by county election workers.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Joseph James removed one independent City Council candidate from the ballot this week, and he let a handful of others stay. But more upheaval may be in store for an already chaotic off-year municipal election. 

Three candidates seeking to challenge Pittsburgh City Councilor Ricky Burgess in District 9 this November are arguing over who gets to call themselves an independent. 

Despite a rally and two hours of public comment Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Planning Commission approved a development plan for the former Penn Plaza site in East Liberty. The rally attendees and majority of public speakers were against the plan by LG Realty, urging the commission to only consider a plan that included affordable housing. 

There are now two declared candidates in the race to represent Pittsburgh’s 9th city council district in the East End. Former Pittsburgh Public school board member Randall Taylor announced this week that he’ll run for the Democratic nomination in the May 21 primary. He joins activist and police shooting survivor Leon Ford in seeking the party's nod.

Affordable housing advocates say they’re concerned the consent agreement reached by the city of Pittsburgh and four neighborhood groups about the former Penn Plaza development site won’t actually help those who need it.