Corey O’Connor, the Squirrel Hill native, former Pittsburgh councilman and champion of paid sick leave and gun reform, on Monday became the city’s 62nd mayor, following in the footsteps of his father and vowing to foster growth and opportunity for his hometown.
District Judge James J. Hanley administered the oath of office just after 2 p.m. Monday as O’Connor’s family and local officials watched.
“It is the greatest honor to serve as your mayor,” O’Connor, 41, of Point Breeze said at the start of his inaugural speech. “I am humbled to take on this role, and I will fight for this city each and every day.”
O’Connor’s wife, Katie, held a Bible, and their young children, Molly and Emmett, stood beside him as he was sworn in during a ceremony at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland that generated a standing ovation.
For much of the event, Emmett, 2, sat on his father’s lap, munching on snacks from a zipper-seal bag.
Pittsburgh’s four living former mayors — Ed Gainey, Bill Peduto, Luke Ravenstahl and Tom Murphy — also were on hand in a box overlooking the stage to witness the transfer of power.
O’Connor defeated Gainey in a tightly contested Democratic primary in May that signaled voters’ dissatisfaction with the incumbent. In a city with an overwhelmingly Democratic voter base, it was no surprise he handily defeated Republican Tony Moreno in November’s general election to clinch the city’s highest office.
O’Connor campaigned on a pledge to give Pittsburghers better than what they got under Gainey. He promised transparency, financial responsibility and investment in recreation centers, public safety and economic development.
“I want Pittsburgh to be every family’s first choice,” O’Connor said in a 15-minute inauguration speech, adding that his family motivated him to run for office.
He thanked Gainey, his predecessor, for leaving a “very emotional” note behind for him.
“Opportunities for reimagining Pittsburgh are everywhere,” O’Connor said, citing as an example revitalizing recreation centers as spaces for culture, learning and community support. “We have to be creative and work together with institutions surrounding us to help bring opportunity to every Pittsburgher.
O’Connor will now oversee a $693 million budget, a city facing a 20% property tax hike and its fair share of problems and potential.
O’Connor’s family joined him for an inauguration party at the Children’s Museum in the city’s Allegheny Center neighborhood Monday evening.
His wife joked the kids had so much fun exploring the museum by themselves ahead of the private event that they may never look at the attraction the same way when it’s open to the public.
“We’re looking forward to what Pittsburgh’s going to be,” Katie O’Connor told throngs of supporters who gathered for the party.
O’Connor Monday evening echoed the sentiments of his earlier inaugural address. He acknowledged he’ll have a lot of work to do, but said he’s eager to get started.
“Thank you for your love of our city,” O’Connor told a packed crowd of supporters, staffers and elected officials. “That’s the most important thing. We are all proud to be Pittsburghers.”
The new mayor acknowledged he will face obstacles.
“Right now, the city is in difficult financial times,” he said. “The state of our budget requires tough decisions.”
But he pledged to be candid with Pittsburghers about the challenges the city faces.
“I promise to be honest and transparent with you,” he said.
O’Connor said he wants to encourage existing companies to grow while attracting new businesses, and he wants to make it “faster and easier to secure a permit” — a suggestion met with applause.
“We can provide shovel-ready sites for your business or your future home. We can provide workforce training to get you ready for a new job or a new career. We can provide these tools throughout the city. And, yes, we can have affordable housing to own or rent in every neighborhood in Pittsburgh because we know that owning a home helps to create generational wealth.”
All eyes on Pittsburgh
The mayor said the world’s eyes will be on Pittsburgh in four months for the 2026 NFL Draft — where, he joked, the Baltimore Ravens will select a kicker, riffing on the Ravens’ missed field goal Sunday night as time expired that sent the Steelers to the playoffs.
O’Connor said he wants to use that platform to tell the story of Pittsburgh, its people, its culture and its neighborhoods, “all the things that we love about our city.”
Among the political luminaries in attendance were Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his wife, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, City Council members and Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler.
“I’m here today both because of my affection for Corey but also because we understand that a strong and safe and successful Pittsburgh is essential to a prosperous Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro invoked a feeling of “optimism and hope” in Pittsburgh as O’Connor takes the reins.
“Today you begin to write the next chapter in the story of this great city,” Shapiro told O’Connor. “And I know it’s going to be a good one.”
‘Finish the job Daddy had started’
O’Connor’s inauguration ceremony, held before a standing-room-only crowd, included a performance from students at Pittsburgh CAPA, bagpipes and a prayer from Rabbi Jacob Pelled — whose wife was the sister of O’Connor’s late mother, Judy — and O’Connor’s brother, Terry O’Connor, a Catholic priest.
Terry O’Connor joked that many in the family had been waiting a long time for Corey O’Connor’s inauguration — 20 years after their father, Bob O’Connor, a longtime councilman, was sworn in as mayor. He ran the city for only a short time before dying in office in 2006 of brain cancer.
“We just always envisioned it — Corey to be mayor one day,” he said.
Terry O’Connor said he had stopped by the cemetery earlier in the day to visit their parents’ grave site. He told O’Connor their parents “are so proud of you” and would be looking down on his inauguration.
“Twenty years ago, almost to the day, we were up on stage watching Dad be sworn in as mayor,” Terry O’Connor recalled. “Corey, you earned this opportunity. And Corey, you got a chance here to finish the job that Daddy had started — but in your own wonderful and unique way.”
O’Connor leaned into that notion during his address.
“I know there are two people watching this ceremony from heaven with smiles on their faces. My parents loved this city to their very core. They loved each and every resident,” the mayor said, his voice catching as he talked about his parents.
“My dad was both optimistic and passionate about the city’s potential and what we could all accomplish together,” O’Connor said, telling supporters the city needs to “redd up,” a nod to his father’s campaign to tidy the city. “Pittsburgh, it’s time to ‘redd up.’ ”
O’Connor promised to continue the Office of Community Health and Safety programs that support homeless people and provide social workers to respond to some 911 calls. The office was launched under Peduto and significantly expanded during Gainey’s tenure.
The mayor said he would focus on public safety, investing in equipment for the city’s fire and EMS bureaus.
“Public safety is not a statistic,” he said. “It is a feeling you have when you walk down the street. I want every resident and every visitor to our great city to feel safe in every community from the West End to the East End, from the North Side to the South Side.”
He also returned to a common theme of his campaign — his desire to grow Pittsburgh. He said he wants to attract new businesses and residents and encourage existing businesses to expand.
O’Connor left his supporters with an optimistic message.
“I want you all to be proud to be a Pittsburgher,” O’Connor said. “And I want you to believe in our city and in ourselves, because there is no doubt in our minds that our best days are ahead.”
Back to basics
Earlier that morning, O’Connor convened his first meeting in the mayor’s office, hours before his swearing-in.
“We build off the momentum of today, but we get started right away,” O’Connor told his top officials, who greeted him with a standing ovation.
He thanked his staffers for being willing to serve the city under his new administration — and jokingly thanked the Ravens’ kicker, Tyler Loop, whose missed field goal Sunday night guaranteed the Steelers a playoff berth.
O’Connor told reporters he convened a team that has experience, brings fresh ideas and shares his passion for Pittsburgh. Echoing a theme he reiterated frequently on the campaign trail, O’Connor said his first priority would be growth.
“The more we grow Pittsburgh, the better we all are,” he said Monday morning.
O’Connor said the inaugural speech he will give Monday afternoon will talk about priorities like “getting back to the basics,” supporting families and ensuring public safety.
His meeting with staff members lasted only a few moments.
