Not even 24 hours after being declared the winner of the Pittsburgh mayoral race and becoming mayor-elect of the city, Corey O’Connor hit the streets to thank voters, while also paying tribute to his late father, former Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor.
Mayor-elect O’Connor and his family on Wednesday morning stood at the corner of Forward and Murray avenues in Squirrel Hill, waving at passers-by and offering thanks. His father did the same thing in the same spot in 2005 after he was elected to the mayor’s office.
KDKA-TV sat down with Mayor-elect O’Connor on Wednesday to discuss his plans for the coming administration and his vision for Pittsburgh.
O’Connor is 41 years old, and it seems he has spent his entire adult life preparing to be the mayor of Pittsburgh.
Immediately after his father’s passing, he went to Washington, D.C., to become an aide to Congressman Mike Doyle.
Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor (D) on Wednesday hit the streets to thank voters, while also paying tribute to his late father, former Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor.
KDKA-TV
He returned to Pittsburgh to become a city councilman and now serves as Allegheny County controller. He credits his wife Katie with pushing him to run for mayor, and now he feels he’s ready to lead the city.
“My wife is the one who encouraged me and said, ‘Look, we think this your time. We’re fully supportive. It’s the right time for Pittsburgh. This could be your moment; you’d better seize it,'” O’Connor (D) recalled.
“I think when you walk through that door, you have a sense of what you’re walking into. That’s a benefit I will have in this position, but this job is so hard, and every day changes. There’s a lot of stress and pressure on this job, and I believe in this city, and I believe this is the right time,” O’Connor said.
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