Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey assembles transition team

As his January inauguration approaches, Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey announced his transition team Wednesday and launched a website that encourages community engagement.

The transition team will help Gainey to staff his administration, form advisory committees to develop policy recommendations and solicit public feedback.

The incoming administration announced they will not be asking all city employees in politically-appointed positions to resign, a practice that has sometimes been employed in the past. Gainey’s transition team said they have sent letters to all relevant city employees, asking those who are interested in remaining with the city to contact the team.

The transition chair is Angel Gober, a community organizer who has fought for issues including fair housing and affordable early-childhood education. She serves as the Western Pennsylvania director for One Pennsylvania, a statewide social justice organization.

Silas Russell is serving as the transition co-chair. Russell is the vice president and political director of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, a labor union that represents 45,000 health care workers across the state, including almost 4,000 in Pittsburgh.

Gober and Russell are tasked with leading efforts to recruit and convene advisory committees that will tackle critical issues in the city and offer recommendations for the Gainey administration. Further information on the scope and organization of such committees will be released next month, the transition team said.

The advisory committees are expected to begin work in early January and release their reports to the Gainey administration in the spring.

Jake Pawlak, who served as senior adviser to Gainey’s mayoral campaign and brings extensive experience in local and state government, will be serving as transition director. The lifelong Pittsburgh resident has held posts at the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. As Gainey’s transition director, he will manage day-to-day operations of the transition office and spearhead staff planning efforts.

Lisa Frank, who served as Gainey’s campaign chair for the mayoral race, will be the team’s transition adviser. Frank is the executive vice president of strategic campaigns for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. In her role as transition adviser, she will advise Gainey on policy matters and organize partnerships during the transition period.

“I’m excited to be working with this thoughtful group of leaders as I plan for my transition into office next year, and I’m looking forward to having this opportunity to engage with the public to hear from them about their vision for the future of our city,” Gainey said.

Gainey also launched a website (gaineytransition.com) where members of the public can find information on Gainey, the transition team and the transition process.

The site also gives the public an opportunity to complete a community survey and contact the transition team.

Gainey’s transition team will be updating the website with information on advisory committees and other major activities leading up to Gainey’s inauguration.

Gainey, a state representative from Lincoln-Lemington, earned more than 70% of the votes in the November election to defeat former Pittsburgh police officer Tony Moreno, who ran as a Republican after coming in a distant third in the primary. Gainey, 51, will be Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor.

Wednesday’s announcement comes after Gainey and his senior advisers met with Mayor Bill Peduto and members of his cabinet at the City-County Building last week to discuss the mayoral transition.