Former Pittsburgh Mayor's Son Mulling Mayoral Bid

PITTSBURGH, PA — Mayor Ed Gainey, who has said he will seek a second term next year, might have some competition for the job: Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor.

O'Connor, son of the late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor, has told multiple media outlets in recent days that he is seriously considering a mayoral run. He expects to make a decision within the next two weeks.

O'Connor has been controller since July 2022 after being nominated by former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and confirmed by the state Senate. He was elected to his first full term in November 2023.

Prior to becoming controller, O'Connor represented Pittsburgh City Council District 5 for a decade. Before being elected to council, he was a community development representative for former U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle.

O'Connor's father, Bob O'Connor, was a longtime city councilman who served nine months as Pittsburgh's mayor in 2006 before dying from a rare form of brain cancer.

Gainey was a state representative before upsetting former Mayor Bill Peduto in the 2021 Democratic primary.