SPRING CLEANUP

PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY says his administration is making Downtown cleaner and safer by beefing up foot patrols and working with partner organizations on a series of cleanup and art programming.

results in the form of increased restau rant and retail sales. He also touted a slate of major music concerts over the course of the summer, which he said would draw in thousands of visitors and boost spending.

Police Chief Concerns

PITTSBURGH is considering hiring a former Boise, Idaho police chief who was forced to resign, according to reporting from local media outlets.

Ryan Lee resigned from his position as Boise’s chief after multiple complaints of low morale in the department, and after allegedly breaking the neck of a fellow officer in a tactical demonstration. WPXI reports from unnamed sources that Lee is

“next in line” to become Pittsburgh’s new police chief. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette later reported two other candidates remain in the running, citing unnamed sources.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s office said the mayor plans to announce his pick for police chief in the next two weeks and declined to say whether Lee was being considered for the role.

“We will make Pittsburgh the safest, most welcoming and most thriving city in America,” Gainey pledged during an April 6 press conference alongside representatives of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Downtown Neighbors Alliance.

Gainey said, having made new investments in the city’s public safety and public works departments, the city’s central business district is starting to see

Although a frequent voice for police reform during his 2021 election run, Gainey affirmed last week his commitment to increasing police presence Downtown and lauded the work of a newly established team of officers now patrolling the area.

“These officers are building solid relationships Downtown, with people who live here, people who work here, and people who play here,” Gainey said.

Education New Chancellor

PITT’S SEARCH for a new chancellor has brought a woman to the post for the first time since the university’s founding in 1787.

The board of trustees announced April 3 that Joan T.A. Gabel would succeed outgoing chancellor Patrick Gallagher, whose nine-year tenure is set to end this summer.

Gabel has been offered a base salary of $950,000 to lead the university system’s five campuses comprising 14,000 staff and 34,000 students. She began her teaching career at the University of Georgia in 1996 and currently serves as president and chief executive of the University of Minnesota.

Social Justice