COMMUNITY CHAMPION:
Guy Costa
T By Jim Rogal
HE PITTSBURGH REGION IS MORE DIVERSE THAN EVER, AND SQUIRREL HILL IS A MICROCOSM OF THAT DIVERSITY—ASIANS, INDIANS, PEOPLE WITH ALL MANNER OF RELIGIONS, BELIEFS, AND BACKGROUNDS. The rise
of Pittsburgh in pursuits such as health care, education, computer science, robotics, and more has drawn people to this area from all over the world. Then there are people like Guy Costa, 67, born and raised here, went to college here, got married here, raised a son here, made his career here, and retired here. Costa was born in Larimer, but his family moved to Squirrel Hill in 1968. And over those decades, Guy Costa has left his mark—still is, actually—on the county, on the city, and on Squirrel Hill. But unlike his higher-profile relatives (father Jay Sr., brother Jay Jr., cousin Paul, cousin Dom) who chose a life in politics, Costa chose a life in government, and there’s a big difference. He has worked for the city, then the county, then back to the city, then back
Guy Costa, seen here volunteering at a Night Market, has long been a champion of Squirrel Hill.
to the county, then finally back to the city again in a wide range of government jobs “for the betterment
the Pittsburgh Public Works Department, then took
of people,” he said. “It feels good to be involved. I like
a similar job in the County Public Works Department.
people. I care about people. And it feels good to help.”
The late Pittsburgh mayor and county executive Pete Flaherty then recruited him to lead the county’s Public
Ready for Costa’s Pittsburgh journey? Here we go.
Development Department.
He attended Linden Elementary School, Taylor
“The steel mills were going down,” said Costa, “so there
Allderdice High School, and Duquesne University. After
was a lot of work to be done. I stayed there for four
two years as a substitute teacher, he went to work in
years.”
10 | shuc.org
