Dan Gilman, who served as Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, announced Monday that he will be taking on a new role at Duquesne University when Peduto leaves office in January.

Gilman will serve as a senior advisor to Duquesne University President Ken Gormley and will move into the chief of staff role when the current chief of staff leaves her post.

Mary Ellen Solomon, who is chief of staff and associate vice president at Duquesne, plans to leave the position to relocate with her family to Northern Virginia.

She and Gilman will work together throughout the spring semester to coordinate a smooth transition.

“Mary Ellen Solomon has been a crucial member of my leadership team, and I am grateful for her myriad contributions,” Gormley said. “I’m also thrilled that Dan Gilman will provide continuing strong leadership and deep experience in this role. I look forward to working with both of them in the upcoming academic semester to support a seamless transition.”

Gilman, of Squirrel Hill North, joined the Peduto administration in 2018. He was previously a city councilman representing City Council District 8. Before that, he had served as Peduto’s chief of staff when Peduto was a councilman.

“I am honored and excited to be joining President Gormley and the incredible team at Duquesne University as senior advisor and chief of staff,” Gilman said in a Tweet announcing his new position.

Gilman said he will start at Duquesne January 5.

“I think Duquesne has always been a fantastic academic institution in the city and is poised to do even more great things with their osteopathic med school and other key investments,” Gilman said, adding that he hopes the university will be “an anchor in the equitable growth of Pittsburgh.”

Solomon, a Duquesne graduate, has worked in the president’s office at Duquesne since 2016.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to have served as part of Duquesne’s leadership team and to have contributed to advancing its mission and reputation in the region,” she said.

https://triblive.com/news/education-classroom/peduto-chief-of-staff-dan-gilman-to-take-on-new-role-at-duquesne-university/

Pittsburgh City Council on Monday approved the city’s 2022 budget.

The budget, compiled by Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration, was initially introduced in late September. Peduto formally introduced the $613.2 million operating budget and a $158.2 million capital budget to City Council during his final State of the City address in early November.

The capital budget includes $17.6 million allocated for infrastructure improvements like street paving, concrete replacement and ramps for people with disabilities, along with funding for traffic safety projects, landslide remediation, park improvements and recreation centers.

More than $11 million was earmarked for park reconstruction and improvement projects.

The budget includes federal American Rescue Plan pandemic relief money, which will be used for initiatives like buying more than 30 electric vehicles for city operations, including Pittsburgh’s first electric refuse trucks. The federal relief dollars will also be spent on upgrades for recreation centers and installing new LED streetlights.

Pittsburgh received more than $335 million in American Rescue Plan funding.

Since the budget was formally introduced, City Council has held public meetings with each city department discussing their 2022 budgets.

City Council unanimously approved the budget Monday with no discussion.

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-city-council-approves-613-million-operating-budget/

https://www.wtae.com/article/immaculate-reception-franco-harris-key-to-city-pittsburgh/38603331

Tweet was deleted.

https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/pittsburgh-mayor-asks-fbi-investigate-leak-report-jim-rogers-tasing-incident/P4HS6ZY4LJFBXBSRE5OUJ5EIQU/

https://mobile.twitter.com/home

Tim Stevens with the Black Political Empowerment Project talked about a major update from Pittsburgh Public Safety following the death of Jim Rogers.

Rogers died one day after police officers used a taser during his arrest in Bloomfield in October. On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Public Safety announced disciplinary action for eight police officers and changes to policy and procedure.

“I thought to come up with these specific recommendations this quickly was expeditious on the part of the Bureau of Police,” Stevens said. “I met James Rogers on several occasions. He was not a threat to anybody.”

Rogers’ death led to protests and calls for transparency. In a statement, Mayor Bill Peduto said: “This critical incident included multiple failures. Today’s announcement around pending disciplinary action and policy changes is a starting point.”

https://www.wtae.com/article/jim-rogers-pittsburgh-public-safety-b-pep/38592296

Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey said Wednesday that his recent covid-19 test was a false positive.

Gainey had moved an announcement regarding his transition team to a virtual format Monday after a rapid covid-19 test came back positive.

Gainey, who is vaccinated and has received a booster, never had symptoms of the virus. His initial rapid test was described by his primary care physician as “slightly positive,” meaning he needed a PCR test for confirmation.

The results of the PCR test, which came Tuesday evening, were negative.

“I believe it is extremely important that everybody in Pittsburgh get a covid-19 vaccine and a booster, and that everyone use recommended masking procedures when in public spaces, regardless of vaccination status,” Gainey said. “We must not forget that the risk from covid-19, including from its new variant omicron, is still a major public health threat.”

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-mayor-elect-ed-gainey-says-covid-19-test-was-false-positive/

>>15244742

Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey on Monday introduced new members to his transition committee as he prepares to take office next month.

The announcement came virtually after he said he tested positive for covid-19 Monday morning.

“This is a robust group of people that came together here,” Gainey said of his transition team, who he has tasked with helping him “make this a city for all.”

Gainey in November announced his transition team would be led by transition chair Angel Gober, a community organizer who serves as the Western Pennsylvania director for One Pennsylvania, a statewide social justice organization. Gainey appointed Silas Russell — vice president and political director of the labor union SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania — as the transition co-chair.

Jake Pawlak, who served as senior advisor to Gainey’s mayoral campaign, was named transition director last month. Pawlak has held posts at the Urban Redevelopment Authority and Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.

Formerly Gainey’s campaign chare in the mayoral race, Lisa Frank — who serves as the executive vice president of strategic campaigns for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania — is serving as the team’s transition advisor.

During Monday’s announcement, he also named the individuals who would serve on four transition committees dedicated to helping him find actionable solutions to several key issues he hopes to tackle as mayor.

The Equitable Development Committee is co-chaired by Monica Ruiz, the executive director at local nonprofit Casa San Jose, and Bob Damewood, a staff attorney with Regional Housing Legal Services.

The Education and Workforce Development Committee will be co-chaired by Regina Holley, former director of the Pittsburgh Public School District board, and Darrin Kelly, president of the Allegheny Fayette Labor Council.

Jim Bey, president and founder of the think tank UrbanKind Institute, and Christine Mondor, who serves on Pittsburgh’s planning commission, will co-chair the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.

The Community Health and Safety Committee will be led by Kathi Elliott, who serves as CEO of the nonprofit Gwen’s Girls, and Wasi Mohamed, senior policy officer at The Pittsburgh Foundation.

Those committees will lead a public process to create reports that will outline concrete ways the Gainey administration can aim to fulfill key policy goals, Gober said. The reports will be publicly released in April, she said.

“We are charged with bringing forward an actionable set of recommendations to take on some of Pittsburgh’s most pressing challenges,” including public safety reforms, education, transportation and affordable housing, Russell said.

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-mayor-elect-ed-gainey-announces-transition-team-details/