PITTSBURGH — On the eve of his inauguration, Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor met with members of the media Sunday to outline his priorities for his first days in office, while also reflecting on the personal significance of the moment nearly two decades after his father was sworn in as mayor.
O’Connor spent the day with his family and said he is ready to get to work immediately, noting his administration will begin with an internal review of city operations.
“Internally, the first month or two is going to be, what do we have to fix?” O’Connor said.
He said one of his first priorities will be City Council confirmation of his picks for police chief Jason Lando and public safety director Sheldon Williams.
Public safety, O’Connor said, will remain a top focus, with plans to continue and potentially expand initiatives started under outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey, including behavioral health and outreach programs such as Roots and REACH.
Another major priority will be improving Pittsburgh’s permitting and approval process for small business owners.
“Looking at the permitting process immediately so we can say, ‘Hey, your small business needs to open. Why is it taking so long?’” O’Connor said.
O’Connor also emphasized the need to grow housing across the city and create a budget that is less reliant on federal funding following recent government cuts.
“We can’t rely on getting hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said. “We have to be focused internally on where that money is going and how we can use it more efficiently.”
O’Connor said his inaugural address Monday will include remarks about family, among other things.
Channel 11 will have coverage throughout the day from multiple inaugural events.
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