Darlene Harris has had a colorful career on Pittsburgh City Council

Darlene Harris has earned praise and criticism during her long career on Pittsburgh City Council.

The Spring Hill Democrat made a name for herself as a lover of animals and a council woman devoted to constituent services. She also sparred regularly with the mayor and other members of council and often found herself at the center of controversy.

Harris lost the Democratic primary Tuesday to challenger Bobby Wilson.

Here are some of Harris’ most memorable moments from her 13-year tenure on council.

Council president Darlene Harris talks about the economic pressure the city is under during a Pittsburgh City Council public hearing on privatizing parking and bolstering the city pension plan at the West End Senior Center on Tuesday, October 5, 2010. (Tribune-Review)

• Pension bailout: Supporters say the bailout of Pittsburgh’s employee pensions saved taxpayers millions.

The city was facing state takeover of underfunded pension plans in 2010 when council and city Controller Michael Lamb hatched a plan to pump about $735 million in parking tax revenue over three decades into the plans. Harris, then council president, worked tirelessly to get the bailout approved, convening an 11th hour meeting just before a state deadline on New Year’s Eve 2010 for a final vote on the issue.

• “I’ll just call him Scott:” In 2011, Harris issued a a public apology after then-city finance Director Scott Kunka accused her of purposely mispronouncing his name. Kunka accused her of mocking his Ukrainian heritage. Harris said Kunka had never raised the issue before, and she didn’t realize she was mispronouncing it.

“From now on, I’ll just call him Scott,” she said.

• Throwing gavels: During heated budget meetings in 2014, council President Bruce Kraus fined Harris $20 for what he termed disruptive behavior. Kraus said Harris was out of order when she grabbed a gavel, banged it several times and threw it at him. Harris denied tossing the gavel.

“Bruce had a bad day, but we’re still friends,” she said.

Two constituents mailed her separate $20 checks to pay the fine. She never cashed them and has them framed and hanging in her office.

Pittsburgh City Council woman Darlene Harris in 2016 with Ranger, an Allegheny County Sheriff's Office K-9 (Facebook)

• Love of Animals: Known for a love of animals, Harris at various times sponsored ordinances for the protection of pets.

In 2011, she sponsored a free spay and neutering program for dogs and cats owned by city residents. Three years later, she sponsored separate bills that prohibited people from trapping wild birds and permitted public safety personnel to break into a vehicle when an animal inside is suffering during extreme hot or cold temperatures.

• Blocked on Facebook: Harris ran into trouble with the ACLU in 2017 when she blocked constituents from her city Facebook page after they posted critical comments. Harris later relented and unblocked the page.

• Elephant ride: In 2017, Harris rode an elephant and a camel at the Syria Shrine Circus. She said she was investigating how the animals were being treated in wake of an ordinance proposed by Kraus banning live animal acts.

Harris said she wanted to inspect the animals close up and was criticized for posting pictures of the test rides on social media.

Pittsburgh City Council woman Darlene Harris holds a creche that belonged to her grandmother. The Nativity set went missing from under the council Christmas tree. It was later found in a conference room. (Tribune-Review)

• The Grinch that stole Christmas: In 2018, Harris accused Kraus of removing a creche that she had placed beneath a Christmas tree in council offices. The creche reappeared several weeks later. Kraus denied taking the creche.