Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor will step into the city’s highest office in January.

But he’s no newcomer to City Hall.

O’Connor previously spent more than a decade on Pittsburgh City Council before moving to his current post as Allegheny County controller.

Some of O’Connor’s most notable bills came in response to catastrophic events in the city. Others were inspired by his own personal experiences.

As mayor, he will be working with an all-Democrat council whose majority backed him over incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey.

But it remains to be seen what O’Connor prioritizes as chief executive of a city facing multiple challenges and how well he will work with his former colleagues to enact his agenda.

Here are some of the bills he sponsored as a councilman:

Infrastructure safety

Ten days after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park, O’Connor introduced legislation to create a commission dedicated to ensuring the city’s infrastructure is maintained and funded.

The Commission on Infrastructure Asset Reporting and Investment makes recommendations on infrastructure upkeep and investments. O’Connor’s measure tasked the group with reporting on the state of the city’s bridges, roadways and other infrastructure.

“To make sure that Pittsburghers get to where they need to go safely and securely, this legislation will also bring experts to the table to provide guidance on our immediate infrastructure needs and prioritizing long-term strategic investment,” O’Connor said when the bill was introduced.

No one was killed, but several people were injured when the Fern Hollow Bridge fell in January 2022, sending a bus and multiple vehicles into a ravine. The National Transportation and Safety Board condemned the city for failing to properly maintain and repair the span for years before its collapse.

Gun reform

O’Connor tried to bring what he called “commonsense” gun reform to the city after a gunman killed 11 worshippers at Squirrel Hill’s Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018.

“It was just helpless individuals being murdered by someone with hate in their mind,” O’Connor told TribLive. “I think that got me saying, ‘Look, this is enough. We’re done. Let’s fight. It’s time to fight.’”

The legislative package sought to ban the possession and use of certain semi-automatic weapons — like assault rifles — ammunition and accessories within city limits. It also aimed to permit courts to temporarily remove guns from a person deemed to be a public threat.

O’Connor proposed the measures alongside Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill. The pair at the time each represented portions of the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history had taken place.

“I think every council person who sits at this table thinks we need to do something about gun violence,” O’Connor said during a 2019 meeting when the measures were discussed. “I think it’s the right fight to have and the right time to have this fight.”

The gun control bills were ultimately struck down, as a judge ruled the city is prohibited by state law from regulating firearms.

O’Connor recently told TribLive he still believed advocating for the measures was the right thing to do.

Paid sick leave

In 2015, O’Connor authored a bill requiring employers to provide paid sick leave.

The bill enjoyed strong union support.

Under O’Connor’s legislation, employers must provide paid sick time; how many hours depends on the number of employees.

O’Connor told TribLive the measure was inspired by watching his father — the late Mayor Bob O’Connor — run a Roy Rogers restaurant. He saw how hard employees worked and learned the importance of retaining workers, O’Connor said.

Before the legislation was approved, about 49,000 people had private sector jobs in the city that didn’t offer paid sick leave, according to a survey by Women’s Policy Research, a Washington nonprofit focused on women’s issues.

Unlike O’Connor’s gun reform legislation, the paid sick leave act held up to a court challenge.

“This is not only a historic win for workers in Pittsburgh but for all of Pennsylvania,” O’Connor said after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the city could require paid sick leave for workers. “This is not a win for politicians. This is a win for workers fighting for economic justice.”

Campaign money for childcare

O’Connor joined several council colleagues in spearheading an effort to allow candidates seeking political office in Pittsburgh to use campaign funds for certain childcare costs.

The bill allows candidates to use campaign funds to pay for childcare expenses incurred while a candidate is campaigning.

The measure was meant to ensure people didn’t have to choose between caring for their kids or seeking office.

O’Connor himself is a father of two.

The bill was approved and is in effect.

Hazelwood Green

O’Connor sponsored the zoning measure that paved the way for the Hazelwood Green development, a sprawling 178-acre site on the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood.

The former brownfield is now being developed as the home to Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Innovation Center and a biomanufacturing facility launched by the University of Pittsburgh.

Affordable housing and a community athletic field also are coming to the site.

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