Scott is a proud Democrat because he believes that government has a responsibility to protect every citizen’s safety, dignity, and health.

He knows that a City government strong enough to meet its obligations–to guard Pittsburghers from physical harm, defend their civil rights, build and maintain safe infrastructure, preserve quality public spaces, and create real economic opportunity–needs the financial resources to invest back into people.

That starts with: 

Responsible Management of City Finances 

Pittsburgh needs elected leaders who will always be honest about Pittsburgh’s fiscal health and offer serious solutions to our ongoing budget crisis. Scott pushed for financial accountability in his role as a Council chief of staff and will continue to do so as Councilman.

Promoting a robust local economy that generates construction, high-paying jobs, new businesses, and more housing options—and supplementing tax receipts with aggressive pursuit of partnership agreements that bring in private sector and nonprofit contributions. This combination will allow the City to get the resources it needs without resorting to more tax increases.

Unlocking More City Revenues

We need to do better than straining to balance budgets that barely have enough funding to cover basic services. With the right approach, we can make transformational investments in Pittsburgh’s future: safe roads and bridges, clean and beautiful parks, and new vehicles to plow snow, collect waste, fight fires, and save lives in emergencies.

Reinvesting Into Our People

  • Scott knows that keeping residents safe should be every government’s first priority. He believes Pittsburghers should be able to live without fear of physical harm no matter where they are in our city: in their homes, on our streets, at their places of work, in houses of worship, and everywhere in between. He supports a comprehensive approach to public safety including: 

    • Ensuring that all of our public safety bureaus have the resources they need: staff, equipment, vehicles, and facilities

      • EMS: continue upgrading our ambulance fleet, work towards higher staffing levels, improve station conditions

      • Fire: accelerate the delivery of new trucks, improve aging stations, and demand better performance from our vehicle repair providers 

      • OCHS: supporting Mayor O’Connor’s revival of co-response and ensuring the program has the funding it needs for long-term success 

      • Police: building our force back up to at least 900 officers so that every neighborhood feels protected 24/7 and officers are available to enforce ordinances against dangerous driving and other high-risk activities that currently go unmonitored 

    • Transforming our vehicle fleet across every city department so that snowplows, garbage and recycling trucks, construction vehicles, and other heavy duty automobiles can spend less time in the shop and more time clearing hazards from our streets

    • Keeping the plan for a modernized Public Safety Training Facility on track so that new and veteran first responders get best-in-class training 

    • Continuing the use of lifesaving technologies like ShotSpotter, which help our paramedics reach gunshot victims faster in situations where speed can make the difference between life and death 

    • Increased funding for social services and violence interruption, and ensuring that the Stop The Violence Fund fulfils its mission

    • Meaningful action on climate change-related projects like erosion and flood prevention efforts in Hazelwood and The Run, as well as other District 5 neighborhoods 

    • Completing long-overdue infrastructure projects with dollars supplied by more revenues and sound financial management–because no Pittsburgher should have to worry about a city bridge, road, hillside, or structure collapsing on them

  • Scott understands that the City plays a critical role in supporting a dynamic economy, one where the jobs of today and tomorrow are performed by Pittsburghers. He recognizes that the City’s future depends on how many good-paying roles we can create, how many affordable homes we can build, and how strong we can make our tax base so that City finances will hold up even if another pandemic-level disruption strikes. That means:

    • Making Pittsburgh the Best City in America for Small Businesses

      • Establishing an Office of Small Business that reports to the Economic Development Director, providing a concierge service for new and existing local businesses so that the City is doing everything in its power to help them navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship

    • Committing to an ‘All The Above’ Housing Strategy for Affordability and Access

      • Using the Affordable Housing Bonus Program (which Scott helped draft) to maximize the production of affordable and market-rate housing units, both of which are necessary to increase overall supply and update our aging housing stock; direct fee-in-lieu contributions from the AHBP to support the long-term health of the Housing Opportunity Fund

      • Building on the O’Connor Administration’s early success in reforming the City’s permitting and inspection processes, so that construction projects face fewer delays and homeowners can save their hard-earned time and money when they want to make improvements to their family houses

      • Centering affordable home ownership as a cornerstone of the City’s housing and economic strategy, because the security a deed of ownership provides is the best tool we have against displacement of long-time residents from their neighborhoods

    • Supporting projects that bring jobs to our first-class workforce, and ensuring that all eligible employers comply with the prevailing wage standard and project labor agreements

    • Assembling partners and funding to realize long-sought neighborhood needs, like a full-service grocery store in Hazelwood

    • Moving beyond the zero-sum mentality that investment in one neighborhood comes at the expense of another, and replacing it with the positive vision of a Pittsburgh where districts rise together

    • Keeping the business of City Council focused on Pittsburghers’ immediate needs and priorities

      • Helping to change the country around us for the better by establishing Pittsburgh as a model of Democratic governance that other cities should emulate

    • Squaring with residents about City government’s performance, challenges, and shortcomings—no matter who is Mayor.