What’s at stake: Incumbent Barb Warwick won a special election late last year to replace Corey O’Connor on council after he became the county controller. But while Warwick took office only a few months ago, she’s already facing a primary challenger, political newcomer Lita Brillman, in a bid for a full term. Pittsburgh City Council District 5 includes the neighborhoods of Glen Hazel, Greenfield, Hays, Hazelwood, Lincoln Place, New Homestead, Regent Square, Squirrel Hill South, and Swisshelm Park.
Salary: $76,544
Further reading:
“Democrat Barb Warwick wins seat on Pittsburgh City Council vacated by Corey O'Connor” (Kiley Koscinski, WESA)
“Political newcomer Lita Brillman to launch primary run for Pittsburgh City Council's District 5” (Kiley Koscinski, WESA)
Laura “Lita” Brillman
Lita Brillman is a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in public administration and expects to graduate in April. This is Brillman’s first run for public office.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Greenfield
Education: B.A., University of Michigan; MPA in progress, University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Graduate student
Related experience: The Prison Creative Arts Project, America Votes, Coro Center for Civic Leadership (2021); Constituent Services in Pittsburgh City Council District 8
Supporters/endorsements: n/a
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
WESA Candidate Survey
What should Pittsburgh City Council’s top priority be right now? How would you try to address it, if elected?
Council’s top priority should be addressing the root causes of inequality in our city. This includes: ensuring fair housing policy, addressing the social determinants of health including access to healthy food and clean air and water, particularly in low-income communities, and promoting culturally responsive healthcare policies and practices to address the Black maternal mortality crisis; promoting equitable education and hiring practices to give women and BIPOC Pittsburghers equal economic access and opportunity to build wealth, and reducing economic inequality by increasing union density. This can be achieved through prohibiting union-busting practices like using government funding on high-priced strike-breaking lawyers and restoring full back pay for those fired for union activity.
What does your district most need from City Council? Why are you the right person to address it?
District 5 needs a leader who is not just a good vote, but a champion for people. Hazelwood is at a critical inflection point and needs proactive stewardship to move it through the process of development without displacement. The district needs a leader that will stand up to antisemitic, anti-trans, and homophobic harassment that is sweeping through the country and manifesting in our own backyards. I know these experiences first-hand, and I have deep roots in the communities that need to be brought to the table. I spent years working for Councilor Erika Strassburger to learn how the office works and how to provide constituent services, executing research on segregation in District 5.
Violent crime, particularly among youth, has been an issue of high priority for the mayor’s office and city council. What do you think council’s role should be in addressing the problem?
Council’s role should be to provide the resources and programs that young people need in order to keep them away from violent activity. This means accessible K-12 programming that actually meets the needs and desires of young people. Common-sense gun legislation can also help curb violent crime. There is a distinct lack of optimism due to roadblocks we’ve encountered at the state level, but we must be persistent, particularly with a new governor and Democratic House majority. We can also push for local policies such as higher fines for irresponsible storage of guns, since many incidents of violence or suicide are achieved through easy access to parents’ guns.
Pittsburgh faces a variety of housing challenges — from a lack of affordable housing stock to a growing homeless population — what is the most effective thing council can do to address this?
The most effective thing council can do is promote high-density housing that is responsive to the neighborhood. Prioritizing the number of affordable units, as opposed to the percentage of affordable housing, is crucial: 50% of 10 units is less affordable housing than 20% of 100 units. Additionally, cracking down on practices such as landlords not taking Section 8 vouchers, discriminatory bank lending practices, and racially biased appraisals is essential. Finally, upzoning and providing repairs to houses that are not up to code provides more housing and a lower carbon footprint, as well as creating jobs to perform repairs.
The state of the city’s Bureau of Police has been a topic of discussion for city leaders. While City Council has held public hearings to learn more about staffing concerns, what else can or should council do to improve working conditions for police?
One of the most important things we can do for police in Pittsburgh is to divert some non-emergency responsibilities away from officers so that they can be present where they’re needed most. Programs like the Atlanta PAD 311 program can be piloted in Pittsburgh and would allow people to call non-emergency services to connect nonviolent offenders with resources they need to address the basic causes of crime, such as mental health, lack of basic resources, joblessness, and homelessness. That will ensure police are available to respond to emergency and violent offenses.
Barb Warwick
Barb Warwick was sworn into office on City Council in December after winning a four-way special election in the fall. She is currently serving for the remainder of the term won by Corey O’Connor, who left the seat to become the Allegheny County controller. Prior to taking office, Warwick worked in IT and was a prominent community organizer in an effort to stop a controversial multimodal transportation project in Four Mile Run.
Party: Democratic
Place of residence: Greenfield
Education: B.A., Barnard College; M.A., University of Heidelberg.
Current occupation: Member of Pittsburgh City Council; chair of the committee on innovation, performance, asset management and technology
Related experience: Pittsburgh City Council (2023-present); community organizer in Four Mile Run, Greenfield and Hazelwood (2018-2022)
Supporters/endorsements: Allegheny County Democratic Committee; Steel City Stonewall Democrats; Working Families Party; Labor groups including SEIU 32BJ and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers; Mayor Ed Gainey; City Council members Deb Gross and Bobby Wilson; Allegheny County Councilor Bethany Hallam.
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
WESA Candidate Survey
What should Pittsburgh City Council’s top priority be right now? How would you try to address it, if elected?
There are so many issues, from managing our unhoused population, to keeping our kids safe, to creating affordable housing, to expanding food access, and so on. We need to be addressing them all. My team and I are very focused on taking a holistic approach. That means working closely with city departments and local officials to help them understand what needs to be prioritized in every neighborhood. If a constituent or neighborhood group has an issue, you need to get back to them quickly, set clear expectations about timelines, and follow through. The same goes for crafting good legislation and helping guide community partners toward resources that will help their neighborhoods thrive.
What does your district most need from City Council? Why are you the right person to address it?
District 5 is really a microcosm of the city. You have some of the wealthiest and more powerful to some of the poorest and most vulnerable — and everyone in between. As the city councilperson, it's your job to represent everyone while ensuring equity and inclusion. I'm in a unique position to do this. Helping advocate for my neighbors in The Run and also in Greater Hazelwood — from fighting to stop the Mon-Oakland Connector through Schenley Park, expand things like bus service, after-school programming, and food access, and even petitioning the city to reopen Magee Pool — taught me that you don't get things done without a deep commitment to community engagement.
Violent crime, particularly among youth, has been an issue of high priority for the mayor’s office and city council. What do you think council’s role should be in addressing the problem?
You can't address violence if you don't have a relationship with the people who are working to curb it. This is why I've made a point to connect with organizations doing that work in District 5 as well as with leadership at local schools. I've also reached out to Zone 4, others in Public Safety, and my fellow council members. Even if we don't always agree — like with the idea of reenforcing an outdated curfew — I always come away with a deeper understanding of where everyone is coming from. Stemming the scourge of youth violence, and gun violence in particular, is complicated. But I'm optimistic our investment in violence prevention is going to pay off.
Pittsburgh faces a variety of housing challenges — from a lack of affordable housing stock to a growing homeless population — what is the most effective thing council can do to address this?
We need the Housing Authority to encourage landlords to accept housing vouchers — not just in historically low-income areas. The HACP also needs to do better at holding landlords accountable for maintaining units.
In the long term, we need the zoning code to include inclusionary zoning, transit and food infrastructure requirements, and restrictions on the amount of parking included with new developments. That will maximize affordable units while ensuring residents have access to transit. The Land Bank can make it easier for community members to take over properties and make their neighborhoods better. Finally, we need more transitional housing, so the unhoused can not only get a bed for the night but the wrap-around services they need.
The state of the city’s Bureau of Police has been a topic of discussion for city leaders. While City Council has held public hearings to learn more about staffing concerns, what else can or should council do to improve working conditions for police?
We are asking our police officers to do it all — everything from responding to incidents of violence to responding to calls about stolen bicycles. We need to take a more holistic approach to public safety — one that focuses police on dealing with the types of violent crime they are trained to handle. We are already moving toward having social workers respond to nonviolent mental health calls. We could also enact mandatory self-service telephone reporting for non-urgent issues, such as petty theft, so officers can focus on critical calls. There would be fewer overtime hours — a significant pain point for officers with families — and fewer contacts between officers and the public, helping to minimize violent interactions between them.
