Pittsburgh...‘LET’S GO GET IT’ - Gainey sworn in as Pittsburgh mayor

MAYOR ED GAINEY delivers his inauguration speech inside City Council Chambers, Jan. 3. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

It’s official — Ed Gainey is now the 61st mayor of the City of Pittsburgh

by Rob Taylor Jr., Courier Staff Writer

At 1:51 p.m., Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, the City of Pittsburgh was forever changed.

Ed Gainey, the affable, unabashed 51-year-old African American man of integrity whose pastor at Destiny International Ministries, Michael Smith, called a “champion,” was officially sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 61st mayor.

No one, no where, had ever witnessed anyone other than a White man or woman inaugurated as mayor of this densely populated Town of Steel. But as Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark issued the oath of office to Gainey, it became apparent to those lucky enough to witness the event in person at City Council Chambers, Downtown, and to those watching around the nation online, that a Black man was indeed about to hold Pittsburgh’s highest office.

“At 65 years of age, I did not think that I would experience this,” echoed Judge Clark, who became the court’s first Black president judge in 2018. “I am so thrilled, I am so overwhelmed by the magnitude of what is happening here in the City of Pittsburgh today, the hope that it’s bringing for many people who look like me.”

With Gainey’s left hand on the Bible, he completed the swearing-in ceremony with his wife, Michelle, by his side, and the moment was concluded with a “congratulations” from President Judge Clark.

That’s when Council Chambers erupted in applause and jubilation, 35 seconds worth to be exact, as the historic moment sunk in.

ED GAINEY is read the oath of office by President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark. (Photo by Lindsey Dill/ Publicsource)

“I stand here today as the 61st mayor of the great City of Pittsburgh,” Mayor Gainey proclaimed, followed by more jubilation. “It is truly an honor and a privilege to be your mayor. I want to thank all of Pittsburgh—each and every one of you—for putting your faith in my leadership. See, I love this city. Without this city I would not be who I am today. And I want you to know that I will never take your support or vote for granted.”

Mayor Gainey then thanked his family—wife, Michelle, children, Mariah, Darius and Alexa, mother, Darlene Gainey-Craig, father, and late stepfather and uncle.

MAYOR ED GAINEY, with his parents, prior to the inauguration, Jan. 3. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)

Specifically about his mother, Mayor Gainey said he watched her raise him and his sister as a single mother. “I watched her make a way out of no way,” he said. “I need y’all to know, I love my mother and I greatly appreciate you for all that you have done. You’re the reason that I’m here.”

Clad in a navy blue suit tailored for the occasion, Mayor Gainey discussed how, after returning to Pittsburgh from Baltimore where he graduated from Morgan State University, he was determined to “build bridges across neighborhoods and the city” through his work in community development. He said he realized that many residents don’t even know the power they truly hold. “We have a choice to accept things as they are, or to take responsibility for changing them,” Mayor Gainey said.

Throughout his years working on the ground and in Harrisburg as a state representative of the 24th Legislative District (East Liberty, Lincoln-Lemington, Homewood, etc.), Mayor Gainey became known for his outgoing personality, an ear for listening to people’s concerns, and his numerous events which gave Christmas gifts and other needs to the community.

“Our real power is not necessarily to change the world, but to make a world of change in the people that we encounter every single day,” Mayor Gainey said during his inauguration address.

After nearly a decade as a state legislator, Mayor Gainey is now leader of a city that’s been known to be America’s “most livable city,” but that moniker has been challenged with another phrase: “Most livable for whom?”

Pittsburgh has transformed itself into a technological hub, replacing the bustling steel mills with driver-less cars and artificial intelligence. Some experts have called Pittsburgh a major player for recruiting talent in the technological space, especially with the renowned Carnegie Mellon University calling Pittsburgh home. But in Pittsburgh and across the country, there is a big problem with getting Blacks into the tech field, and it’s been acknowledged by the big dogs; Facebook, Apple, Google and others.

In 2017, Apple had just six percent of its tech workforce identify as Black. For Twitter, just six percent of all its workers were Black in 2020. And Google, which has local offices at Bakery Square on Pittsburgh’s East End, has just over five percent of its total employees nationwide identify as Black.

Many jobs in Pittsburgh will continue to be tech-based, and if African Americans can’t get those jobs, the Black population of Pittsburgh could continue to dwindle, as more than 7,000 African Americans have already left the city in the past seven years. Pittsburgh’s population was 28 percent Black in the early 2000s. Today, it’s barely 23 percent.

Mayor Gainey knows this. And he spoke on it during his inauguration speech, even if it made some “uncomfortable.”

“Success does and will continue to live here and thrive here in our City of Pittsburgh,” he said. “But not at the expense of those that have been left behind for far too long.”

Mayor Gainey continued: “Let me be clear: We will be bold. We will aim high. And we will work tirelessly, ‘til we get there. My administration will be progressive, principled and always on the side of the people. This will take courage…to me, courage means doing the right thing. By the people. For the people. And most importantly, with the people. No one can do it alone, but we can always do it together.”

Mayor Gainey promised to help make Pittsburgh a place where economic opportunity is abundant for everybody, “a city where affordability isn’t a luxury,” and a city that is prepared to lead into the future. He said the city is a leader in health care, technology and its university systems, but it should also be a leader in “police-community relations, economic inclusion, affordability, transportation access, and that we partner with our schools to create a world-class education system that benefits everyone.”

Pittsburgh Public Schools seems excited about the prospects of working with Mayor Gainey, who graduated from Peabody High School in 1988. PPS declared Jan. 3, 2022 as “Mayor Edward Gainey Day” in the district, and school board member Devon Taliaferro said in a pre-recorded video that she hopes that PPS “can build a bridge toward a stronger partnership with the City of Pittsburgh.”

Some moments of the hour-long inauguration were pre-recorded, as the ceremony was largely virtual due to COVID-19 concerns. Those moments included a national anthem rendition from vocalist Erica Perri, a performance from Sankofa Village For the Arts, a song selection from the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church Praise and Worship Ensemble, a poem from the renowned Vanessa German, and a rendition of “Rise Up” from Pittsburgh CAPA senior vocal major Francesca Rose.

“A champ is someone that perseveres, a champ may lose an election, a champ may get knocked down, but all champions get back up,” added Pastor Smith, who also spoke in a pre-recorded video. “You, Ed Gainey, you stand as a bright beacon, a shining star of hope to those who may be down but are not out; to those who have been pushed to the side, kicked to the curb; those who have been left out and ostracized. You remain as a symbol to those of us that the people didn’t believe in, but you believed in yourself.”

If Mayor Gainey was nervous or anxious during the historic inauguration, which also was broadcast on WPXI-TV (11), it didn’t show. However, he did acknowledge that being the first African American mayor of Pittsburgh is a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly. “I stand on the shoulders of greatness. Harvey Adams, Alma Speed Fox, Marcella Lee, Nate Smith, Byrd Brown, Doc Fielder, Bubby Hairston, Chuck Frazier,” the mayor said, naming notable African Americans who fought for change in Pittsburgh.

“The work begins now, Pittsburgh. I never said it was going to be easy,” Mayor Gainey added. “…I know the strength of this city, and I know that when we come together, we have done amazing things. The time is now because we will set the course for the next generation. That is our responsibility right here and now, to work together to make a Pittsburgh for everybody, so the next generation will say that they live in the greatest city in America, and it won’t be a slogan, it will be for real. Pittsburgh, let’s go get it.”