Incumbents cruise to Democratic nominations in Pittsburgh City Council races

Three Pittsburgh City Council incumbents won their Democratic primary races Tuesday night, while two challengers looking to replace retiring councilmen were on their way to locking up party nominations.

No Republicans appeared on the ballot in any of the city council races.

With 100% of precincts in District 1 reporting results, Councilman Bobby Wilson of Spring Hill had collected 78.3% of the votes counted compared with 21.1% for challenger Steven Oberst of Brighton Heights, unofficial tallies showed.

“I’m honored that the voters of my council district (are) reelecting me to a second term. I’m looking forward to continuing our work on behalf of Pittsburghers on the Northside, Strip District and Downtown,” Wilson said around 10:30 p.m.

During his first term, Wilson, 40, sponsored legislation to protect abortion access in the city, grant city employees bereavement leave after miscarriages, ban parking in bike lanes, reduce speed limits in most city parks and dedicate $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to relieve medical debt for some city residents.

The district includes Allegheny Center, Allegheny City Central, Allegheny West, Brighton Heights, Downtown, East Allegheny, Fineview, Northview Heights, Observatory Hill, Spring Garden, Spring Hill, the Strip District, Summer Hill, Troy Hill and Washington’s Landing.

With 98% of District 5’s precincts reporting results, Councilwoman Barb Warwick of Greenfield had collected 76.6% of the votes counted compared with about 23% for challenger Lita Brillman, according to unofficial tallies.

Brillman, a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, conceded the race around 10 p.m.

Warwick, 45, was elected to the seat in a special election last November. She has said she is proud of what she accomplished in her first few months in office. She said she was able to move $1.4 million in funding initially designated for the scrapped Mon-Oakland connector project to fund renovations at Burgwin Recreation Center and build a new playground in Lincoln Place.

The district includes Glen Hazel, Greenfield, Hays, Hazelwood, Lincoln Place, New Homestead, Regent Square, Squirrel Hill South and Swisshelm Park.

With 100% of District 7’s precincts reporting results, Councilwoman Deb Gross of Highland Park had collected 65.5% of the votes counted compared with 34.2% for challenger Jordan Botta, unofficial tallies showed.

Gross, 56, has said she hoped to continue working on housing needs if reelected. She also spearheaded an initiative to create a $3 million food justice fund from American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

The district includes Bloomfield, Friendship, Highland Park, Lawrenceville, Morningside, Polish Hill and Stanton Heights.

In District 9, two challengers were vying for the Democratic nomination in a race to replace retiring Councilman Ricky Burgess.

With 95% of the district’s precincts reporting results, Khari Mosley had collected 70.3% of the votes counted compared to 29.3% for Khadijah Harris, unofficial tallies showed.

Mosley, 46, of North Point Breeze, serves as political director of the advocacy group 1Hood Media. He has said his priorities would include bolstering housing, creating a response team to deal with public safety issues across the city and redeveloping business districts.

The district includes East Liberty, Homewood, East Hills, Larimer, Point Breeze North, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, Friendship and Garfield.

In District 3, Bob Charland was the only candidate running to replace retiring Councilman Bruce Kraus.

He has said his top priorities would include cleaning up the city, designating police officers to patrol the East Carson Street entertainment district and providing additional funding for recreation centers and affordable housing.

The district includes Allentown, Arlington, Beltzhoover, Knoxville, South Side and St. Clair, as well as parts of Mt. Washington and Oakland.