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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 39 Two Sections
SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3, 2023
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Lindsay Powell dominates special election, will serve as District 21 representative First Black woman to serve in heavily White district by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
The Democrats have control of the Pennsylvania State House once again, and it’s thanks to a Black woman. Lindsay Powell, 32, a New York City native who has made Pittsburgh her home for the past 10 years, made history as the first Black woman to represent House District 21, handily winning a special election on Sept. 19 over her Republican counterpart, Erin Connolly Autenrieth. The special election was due to state Rep. Sara Innamorato resigning to focus on winning her bid for Allegheny County Chief Executive in the upcoming November General Election. Powell, a New Pittsburgh Courier “Fab 40 under 40” honoree in 2019, declared victory around 8:45 p.m., 45 minutes after the polls closed. District 21 is a heavily White district, with neighborhoods like Lawrenceville, the Strip District, Troy Hill and Polish Hill, and municipalities like Shaler, Etna, Millvale, and Reserve Township. It’s a stark contrast to, say, District 24, which is represented
by another Black woman, state Rep. LaTasha Mayes. District 24 has East Liberty, Lincoln-Lemington and Homewood, among other East End areas. “I’ve always been very passionate about doing good work for our community,” Powell told the Courier at her election watch party at Rear End Gastropub & Garage, in Etna. “When the opportunity arose where I could pair my lived experience with my passion for doing good work and my background in policy-making, I was really excited about the opportunity to serve my community in this way.” Powell was joined by a number of Black supporters at the election watch party, including former Wilkinsburg Mayor Marita Garrett, current House District 19 state Rep. Aerion Abney (who represents the Hill District and parts of the North Side, among other neighborhoods), and soon-to-be District 9 Pittsburgh City Councilman Khari Mosley. Powell will be on her way to Harrisburg in October. When she gets there, fellow legislators better not challenge her intelligence. SEE POWELL A4
LINDSAY POWELL, RIGHT, HANDILY WON THE SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THE HOUSE DISTRICT 21 SEAT, SEPT. 19. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
Zappala goes after Gainey; the mayor hits back Gainey says DA Zappala ‘not doing any real work in helping make Pittsburgh safe’ by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Politics can be messy sometimes. Finger-pointing, playing the blame game, saying one thing and doing another... Politics, where allies can become adversaries, where Democratic candidates can become Republican candidates overnight, where everything in the dark comes to the light. After Pittsburgh’s latest political clash, don’t expect to see Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. doing the Kid ‘n Play “House Party” dance together anytime soon. Much has been made about crime in and around
Pittsburgh, particularly since Mayor Gainey took office as the city’s first Black mayor. While homicides in Pittsburgh jumped from 56 in Mayor Bill Peduto’s final year as mayor, 2021, to 71 in Mayor Gainey’s first year as mayor, 2022, no local political figures dared to attribute the vast increase to Mayor Gainey. However, Mayor Gainey knew that if the high murder count continued, he would get the blame. The mayor has unveiled a number of strategies, including a Pittsburgh Plan for Peace (June 2022), the hiring of a new police chief (Larry Scirotto, spring 2023), block parties in city neighborhoods (summer SEE GAINEY A5
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PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY DIDN’T HOLD BACK ON HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT ALLEGHENY COUNTY DA STEPHEN ZAPPALA.