Pittsburgh Deputy Controller Rachael Heisler to run for controller

Pittsburgh Deputy Controller Rachael Heisler announced Wednesday that she is running for city controller.

She has held her current post since January 2021.

“I am passionate about good government and welcome the opportunity to improve how things get done,” said Heisler, a Democrat. “I am a problem-solver and pledge to work daily to ensure city residents have the best possible experience with their local government.”

Her candidacy comes as Controller Michael Lamb announced last month that he would run for county executive. Rich Fitzgerald, who currently holds that post, cannot run for that office again because of term limits.

Lamb in August said he would not seek reelection to his current position, which he has held since January 2008.

Before becoming Pittsburgh’s deputy controller, Heisler had served as a senior advisor at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the nation’s leading federal fiscal policy and government watchdog group. She also has worked on the staff of former Democratic Congressman Jason Altmire and on U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s inaugural Senate campaign.

“We must take steps to keep Pittsburgh’s recovery durable and equitable as we emerge from the covid pandemic,” Heisler said. “This also means we have to look at the other issues that have emerged and have a real conversation about how they impact the city’s bottom line. The city must continue to have an independent voice in its controller working alongside the administration and city council to weigh in on these matters.”

Heisler, of Pittsburgh’s Central Northside neighborhood, serves on the boards of the Northside Food Pantry Advisors, the Allegheny YMCA, Cafe Momentum Pittsburgh and the Allegheny City Central Association. She also is the chair of the city’s 22nd Ward Democratic Committee, a Wechsler Fellow with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and a community ambassador with the U.S. Navy.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in public administration from Penn State University.