Gainey shares thoughts on UPMC, vaccines and COVID relief as he awaits mayoral election

Democratic nominee said he’s interested in vaccine mandates and pledged a transparent administration

by Charle Wolfson, PublicSource

It’s been three months since state Rep. Ed Gainey won the Democratic primary for mayor of Pittsburgh, defeating two-term incumbent Bill Peduto. With more than two months until the general election and more than four months until the next mayor will take office, Gainey is in a strange position. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the November election but can’t start a transition. 

His campaign has mostly been quiet through the summer, except for occasional written statements and unannounced appearances at community events. PublicSource interviewed Gainey on Monday and asked him how he views several key issues facing the city, including the use of relief funds, municipal consolidation and COVID-19 vaccination efforts. 

UPMC

Gainey made UPMC, the dominant healthcare and hospital provider and the region’s largest employer, a main character of his campaign. He ran on the promise that he would try to make the nonprofit with revenues in the billions pay “their fair share” in taxes, after a decade during which two mayors ultimately failed to do so. He also says he wants UPMC hospital employees to be able to unionize.

Gainey did not detail how he would accomplish that as mayor when asked Monday. He acknowledged and congratulated Leslie Davis, who recently took over as CEO of UPMC. “With new leadership comes new direction,” Gainey said. “I’m looking forward to having a conversation with her first, to find out how we can get that done.”Gainey’s aspirations are not new for the city. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (served 2006-2014) took the city into a lawsuit against UPMC to try to take away its tax-exempt status. Peduto tried a different approach, using the OnePGH program to spur voluntary community investments from large local nonprofits including UPMC. 

When asked why Pittsburgh should expect him to achieve a different outcome than the two most recent mayors, Gainey said: “Why should people believe? I can’t answer that. But I’m going to give the best effort I can, and we’re going to do what’s necessary to make that happen. But to answer more directly, I would hope that [UPMC] would want that relationship. I would hope that they see that this is something that is beneficial to the city.”

Wilkinsburg and consolidation

Gainey found himself in a unique political situation this summer when a Wilkinsburg group announced an effort to merge the borough into the city. Gainey is the state representative for Wilkinsburg and part of the city but could soon resign to serve as Pittsburgh’s mayor.

As the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation [WCDC] campaigned for the merger and the Wilkinsburg Borough Council came out fiercely against it, Gainey mostly stayed quiet. He said Monday that Wilkinsburg residents should make the decision for themselves, and that if they opt to join Pittsburgh, he would welcome that as mayor. 

Ed Gainey, the Democratic nominee for mayor of Pittsburgh, after voting in the May primary election. (Photo by Nick Childers/PublicSource)

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE AT:

Gainey shares thoughts on UPMC, vaccines and COVID relief as he awaits mayoral election

About Post Author

Comments

From the Web

Skip to content