Editorial: Another mismanagement scandal in Pittsburgh is no surprise

It seems like no one knows exactly what is going on in Pittsburgh city government.

There was the issue over the summer of purchasing cards being used improperly to pay a vendor formerly on the city payroll. Those credit cards are meant for things such as a subscription or picking up lunch. They aren’t supposed to pay for $23,000 worth of services that should be contracted. That’s why there’s a $10,000 cap per vendor.

Then there was the question of Pittsburgh police Chief Larry Scirotto being hired with what might have been an agreement kept secret from council. The chief resigned Friday after questions arose about his return to his side gig — refereeing NCAA basketball games.

That seems like a fairly tame controversy. Lots of people have a second job. However, Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, said the approval of Scirotto’s job offer was contingent on not moonlighting on the basketball court. Three of Mayor Ed Gainey’s aides, including Jake Pawlak, director of the Office of Management and Budget, confirmed to council Tuesday they were aware of a deal between the mayor and Scirotto to resume officiating after a year on the job.

That’s followed now by an audit from Controller Rachael Heisler that revealed the city did not collect $800,000 from Phipps Conservatory for utilities — specifically steam usage to maintain the temperatures for the plants.

Heisler — who also uncovered the problem with the purchasing cards — called the failure “alarming mismanagement.”

It could be called something else: a pattern. Yet again, the city’s administration has fallen down on a responsibility.

Is this all Gainey’s fault? No. Heisler’s audit covered 2014 through 2023. Payments were made in 2014, 2016 and 2017, meaning 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 were under the Peduto administration. But Gainey’s people are still on the hook for the last three years.

Phipps has reimbursed $679,530.90 of the missing payments. The agreement between the city and Phipps was extended through 2043, with the requirement to repay the delinquent steam costs.

That takes care of the conservatory’s responsibility. But what about the city’s duty?

For a city that has serious financial considerations to address, $800,000 is a lot of money to misplace over the course of seven years. Amid the other failures, it begs the question of what else has fallen through the cracks — accidentally or on purpose.