Sharpsburg's 1st elected Black mayor talks about her deep roots and future plans
A fourth-generation Sharpsburg resident has made political history.
Kayla Portis, 40, is the first elected Black mayor to serve the borough nestled along the Allegheny River in Allegheny County.
“I feel like it’s long overdue,” she said. “Representation matters.”
Portis’s ancestors, former slaves, fled rural South Carolina after the Civil War to forge a new life in Sharpsburg, with manufacturing and mills offering gainful employment.
Generations later, Portis walks the same streets as her ancestors and said serving as mayor is an “honor.”
“My great-great-grandmother, Nancy Moon, was a slave in Anderson, S.C. I took my two boys to visit her grave site at Welfare Baptist Church in Anderson County, S.C. It was amazing and this may sound strange, but you could feel a presence there,” Portis said. “She was a strong woman — not because life was kind, but because it wasn’t.”
Portis described Moon as someone who had to work hard for everything she ever had.
“Every challenge tried to break her, yet she stood taller each time. She carried pain in silence, turned struggle into strength and kept moving forward when others might have given up. Her scars didn’t make her weak — they told the story of a woman who refused to surrender,” Portis said.
Moon was born into slavery on the Abner Cox Plantation, married at age 15 and had 13 children and worked as a yard slave in Virginia before being shipped to upstate South Carolina.
Portis said her great-grandparents, Furman and Irene Moore, were the first Blacks to settle in Sharpsburg.
A painted mural of her late grandmother, Barbara Smith, adorns the exterior of the Linden Gym along North Canal Street.
Smith died before she could witness Portis serve as mayor.
“I think she would be very proud,” Portis said.
Portis works full-time as a health care worker for Allegheny County at Kane Community Center Living Center.
She serves on the Sharpsburg Historical Commission, served as secretary for the Sharpsburg Baseball/Softball Association from 2019-2021, is president of the Fox Chapel Area for Social Justice and is a Roots of Faith and Allegheny Riverfront Park board member.
Sharpsburg volunteer Nanci Goldberg noted Portis brings a positive attitude to borough events and happenings.
“It’s nice to have someone who knows and loves the town as the connection to council and the police. She comes out to all the events and is always smiling,” Goldberg said.
Portis juggles mayoral duties with life as a wife, mom and working professional.
“It’s a lot. There’s no manual to tell you how to be a mayor,” Portis said. “You just have to have the passion and care to get things done.”
Political aspirations were never on Portis’s radar.
“When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a social worker like my mother,” she said.
Portis was appointed as the first Black council member in 2021 after Greg Domian resigned from his post. She was later elected to council after serving out Domain’s term and was appointed mayor when former mayor Brittnay Reno resigned in June of last year.
“I hadn’t really thought about politics until pretty recently with the George Floyd incident,” Portis said.
Portis takes a positive approach to her mayoral duties, which include managing the police department.
“I love helping people — that’s always been a passion of mine — and my overall philosophy is to be kind to everyone because you don’t know what anyone is going through.”
High school friend and former Sharpsburg mayor Matthew Rudzki has served as a mentor to Portis.
“I grew up with him and he’s been a great resource,” Portis said.
Sharpsburg continues to be a part of the family fabric and for Portis, serving her hometown is a source of pride.
“My children are fifth-generation Sharpsburgers. I tell the children of the Sharpsburg community that I’m a prime example of accomplishing anything if you never give up,” Portis said.
Portis was raised “all over” Sharpsburg, living on different streets that included Noble and North Canal.
Playtime in the creek behind Noble Street holds fond childhood memories.
“I loved the water and we would dye the creek green on St. Patrick’s Day,” Portis recalled. “I also loved the 16th Street sprinkler park and as mayor I want to keep improving the parks, basketball courts and have something for the kids to do.”
Portis is the daughter of Karen Smith-Lindo, and her stepfather is Patrick Lindo.
After graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School in 2003, Portis earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology at Clarion University.
As mayor, focusing on the new riverfront development, Allegheny Shores, is a priority.
The project includes developing 1.5 miles along the riverfront with a goal of connecting residents to the waterfront.
“It’s been a decade in the making. I feel like Sharpsburg is appealing because we have worked to beautify Main Street and our location is close to just about everything,” Portis said.
The Mosites Co. broke ground on Allegheny Shores in 2022 on 52 acres of land that once served as fields for the then-Sharpburg-based H.J. Heinz Co. and later, as a railroad and scrapyard.
Portis said the project aims to provide affordable housing and will include a mix of commercial and residential waterfront amenities.
“Serving as the mayor now lets me take that to the next level, allowing me to work side-by-side with others that share my passion for improving the place that we all call home,” Portis said.
A love of travel is something Portis has enjoyed since going on family trips to New Jersey and New York.
Traveling internationally to Costa Rica when she was a teenager began what has become a series of memorable trips that have included taking her sons to Egypt (yep, they took desert camel rides) and trips to Paris and Iceland.
“When you travel, you learn about a country’s resources, culture, language and religion,” she said.
Cheering on her son’s sports pursuits is another source of fun for Portis.
“I’m a proud momma,” she said.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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