The Post-Gazette has endorsed State Representative Ed Gainey for mayor of Pittsburgh. Marty Griffin got his reaction on NewsRadio KDKA.
"I'm enthused and I'm surprised, but I think it speaks volumes to what we all know is if the Mayor had a record to run on, then it would be different, but they don't. They don't. They haven't." said Gainey. "In some of the biggest issues that have faced this city, they have either been silent or inactive and we can't afford four more years of that."
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The P-G describes Gainey is an "empathetic" leader who "seems to have his feet on the ground."
Marty asked Gainey about attack ads against him from Peduto's campaign that Marty says accuse Gainey of being a thief because there's money missing from PAC contributions.
Gainey told Marty that it's "very misleading and distorted. It's despicable. I refuse to get into a negative back & forth with the Mayor. The reality is the Mayor knows that I have nothing to do with the PAC's books. He knows that," emphasized Gainey. "The only books I worry about is Ed Gainey's books. He knows that. What he wants to do is he wants to create this illusion just like he creating all these other illusions."
Gainey told Marty that he's surprised that he's gone negative, saying that in last year's elections the Mayor said that negative commercials were not good.
"I don't get into the mud with the Mayor. I don't get into the dirt-slinging. As I've told you, you can't build a city throwing dirt," said Gainey. "We're going to stick to the topics that unite this city and we're going to work hard to make Pittsburgh one of the best cities in the world."
Marty asked Gainey whether or not he would come to work everyday unlike Peduto during the COVID-19 pandemic, who stayed home most of the time.
"Absolutely," replied Gainey. "I went to work as a State Representative, I'll definitely go to work as the mayor.
"I've said this before, when your city or your region is under attack from anything that's when you have to go to work. You have to the leader that is instilling hope. You have to be a leader that makes sure the streets are being paved, that the snow is being plowed. None of that has occurred. None of that happened during the pandemic. You've heard public works workers say we need the leadership, we need all resources - they were not there. This was just failed leadership."
Gainey told Griffin that Peduto can't tout a record of success, "so his only way is to try to pull other people down."
Responding to accusations that Gainey doesn't support the police and that a lot of cops don't like him, Gainey said "I've always supported police. I don't want no one to think that I don't like cops. I have an affection for the work that they do.
"Marty, what I've said is that we have to improve police-community relations. We can't close a blind eye to some of the black and brown people that have been killed throughout the century," said Gainey. "We have to work on that. That doesn't mean I'm against them. What I'm saying is that we have to address the issues that separate us in order to come up with solutions that unify us. I don't nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, it makes for a better society."