Pittsburgh has an excellent Mayor. Bill Peduto (D) is running for re-election . As Mayor, Peduto passed a strict campaign finance ordinance that reduces the role of money in politics. Mayor Peduto has worked on neighborhood redevelopment to ensure that every neighborhood benefits as Pittsburgh becomes a 21st Century City. And he has transformed local government.
The new Pittsburgh is a center of innovation. What Alcoa once did for the steel industry, UPMC now does for the health care industry. A full twenty percent of Pittsburgh's workforce is employed in the health care sector. Pittsburgh's many colleges and universities have given rise to a thriving tech sector. And these tech companies are helping the manufacturing sector that made Pittsburgh great grow again for the first time in half a century.
Mayor Peduto's main opponent this year is Councilwoman Darlene Harris (D), who is famous for believing that she is above the law. You see, Councilwoman Harris believes campaign finance laws do not apply to her and has refused to file campaign finance reports. When she isn't breaking campaign finance laws, Councilwoman Harris keeps busy on Facebook, where she accuses supporters of Mayor Peduto of being paid trolls in Trump-like rants.
Against this back drop, Mayor Peduto decided to release his first ad of his re-election campaign. In it, the Mayor says that President Trump's draconian budget cuts to health care and after school programs would hurt Pittsburghers.
Mayor Peduto's strong criticism of Donald Trump angered Councilwoman Harris, who started spouting nonsensical words about bicycle lanes in response to the ad.
What Democrats like Darlene Harris (and Nevada State Senator Aaron Ford) don't understand is that every day we spend waiting for Democratic leaders to oppose Trump's draconian policies is a day that those policies hurt living, breathing human beings. I, for one, am glad that Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto chose yesterday to stand up to Donald Trump's policies.
You can donate to Mayor Peduto's re-election campaign on Act Blue.