Mayoral election in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2017)
2019 →
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| 2017 Pittsburgh elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: March 7, 2017 (partisan) August 1, 2017 (nonpartisan) |
| Primary election: May 16, 2017 General election: November 7, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor and city council |
| Total seats up: 5 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Partisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
The filing deadline for the primary election was March 7, 2017, while the general election filing deadline was August 1, 2017. The deadline to file protests for primary candidate petitions was March 14, 2017, and the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the primary was March 22, 2017. The deadline to protest independent candidate petitions was August 8, 2017.[2][3][4]
Learn more about Pittsburgh's city council races by clicking here. Click here to read more about races for county council and sheriff in Allegheny County.
Elections
General election
- ☑
Bill Peduto (i)
Primary election
- ☑
- ☐
- ☐
Campaign finance
The following table details campaign finance information submitted by mayoral candidates for the 15-day pre-election reporting deadline. These reports include contributions, expenditures, and cash on hand for each candidate from January 1, 2017, through May 1, 2017.[5]
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Pennsylvania elections, 2017
Pittsburgh's municipal elections shared the ballot with races for the city's school board and city council. Pittsburgh's ballot also featured races for county offices, local courts, and state courts.
One statewide measure and one city ballot measure appeared on the general election ballot:
• City of Pittsburgh HRC: Proposed Home Rule Charter Amendment
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of amending the Pittsburgh city charter to allow a city employee to hold a part-time compensated position as an athletics coach or teacher at a public school. |
| A no vote was a vote against amending the Pittsburgh city charter to allow a city employee to hold a part-time compensated position as an athletics coach or teacher at a public school. |
Past elections
2013
General election
| Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Bill Peduto |
84.3% | 36,856 | |
| Republican | Joshua Wander | 11.5% | 5,012 | |
| Independent | Lester F. Ludwig | 3.5% | 1,514 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.8% | 340 | |
| Total Votes | 43,722 | |||
| Source: Allegheny County Elections Division, "Official general election results," accessed October 28, 2015 | ||||
Primary election
Democratic primary
| Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA Democratic Primary, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Bill Peduto |
51.8% | 23,650 | ||
| Jake Wheatley | 7.7% | 3,508 | ||
| Jack Wagner | 39.6% | 18,094 | ||
| A. J. Richardson | 0.6% | 294 | ||
| Write-in | 0.2% | 103 | ||
| Total Votes | 45,649 | |||
| Source: Allegheny County Elections Division | ||||
Republican primary
Joshua Wander ran unopposed in the Republican primaries for mayor.
Issues
Mayoral candidates clash over water authority, Uber
Mayor Bill Peduto faced City Councilwoman Darlene Harris and John Welch in the May 16 Democratic primary. Peduto did not have a Republican challenger, which placed added importance on policy clashes in the primary campaign.[6] On April 19, 2017, all three mayoral candidates participated in a debate that highlighted differences on the following issues:
| April 19 Democratic debate for Pittsburgh mayor |
- Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority: The city's water authority faced scrutiny due to complaints about high lead content, rising water rates, and approximately $750 million in debt. Peduto argued for restructuring the authority and replacing water pipes to deal with the city's long-term water issues. Harris criticized Peduto's oversight of the authority and called for a review of the problems leading to the agency's issues. Welch said he would declare a state of emergency to deal with lead content in water and invest in individual filters for city residents.[6]
- Uber: Peduto's administration welcomed the ridesharing company in 2015 to boost Carnegie Mellon University's robotics department and improve public transportation. The relationship became strained after Uber did not provide assistance with the city's bid for the 2016 Smart City Challenge. Peduto also criticized the company for its labor and corporate practices in February 2017.[7][8] During the debate, Peduto said that Uber was an important partner for the city but that it needed to fix its public relations issues. Harris countered that the city should have negotiated a deal with Uber that provided more benefits to the public, while Welch said he would not hesitate to prevent Uber's operations in the city due to regulatory concerns.[6]
- Sanctuary status: Ballotpedia's February 2017 analysis of sanctuary policies among the nation's 100 largest cities by population determined that Pittsburgh was not a sanctuary jurisdiction. Peduto expressed support for labeling the city as a sanctuary jurisdiction because it aligns with other city policies on inclusivity. Welch said that he did not want city police to commit resources to helping federal immigration officials. Harris opposed the sanctuary jurisdiction label because of the potential loss of federal funding.[6]
- Availability of policy body camera footage: The mayoral candidates were asked about a state Senate proposal to require law enforcement or prosecutorial approval before the release of police body camera footage.[9] Peduto said that videos should only be released in limited circumstances. Harris expressed opposition to making footage public due to the impacts on community trust in police. Welch argued that the public should always have access to body camera footage.[6]
About the city
- See also: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. As of 2010, its population was 305,704.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Pittsburgh uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[10]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | |
| Population | 305,704 | 12,702,379 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 55 | 44,742 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 66.8% | 80.5% |
| Black/African American | 23% | 11.2% |
| Asian | 5.8% | 3.4% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
| Two or more | 3.5% | 2.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 3.2% | 7.3% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.9% | 90.5% |
| College graduation rate | 44.6% | 31.4% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $48,711 | $61,744 |
| Persons below poverty level | 20.5% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Pittsburgh Pennsylvania election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Two mayoral challengers removed from ballot," August 29, 2017
- ↑ Nick Katers, "Email exchange with Edward Hauser," March 10, 2017
- ↑ Allegheny County, "Candidates," accessed March 29, 2017
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Two independents file to challenge Bill Peduto for Mayor," August 3, 2017
- ↑ Allegheny County, "Document Portal," accessed May 9, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "First Pittsburgh mayoral debate is low-key," April 20, 2017
- ↑ Fortune, "One Year After Announcing Pact, the Uber-Carnegie Mellon Partnership Is Stalled," March 21, 2016
- ↑ Quartz, "Pittsburgh has finally realized it’s in a toxic relationship with Uber," February 7, 2017
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Panel debates usage of police body cameras in Pennsylvania," April 13, 2017
- ↑ Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, "What is home rule?" accessed October 27, 2014
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