Pittsburgh mayor O’Connor, councilman deny search warrant claims tied to no-bid contracts, city funding
PITTSBURGH —
A search warrant unsealed in Pittsburgh looks into allegations of bid-rigging during former Mayor Ed Gainey’s time in office.
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor and City Councilman Khari Mosley have denied allegations outlined in a search warrant affidavit involving city contracts and funding.
The affidavit alleges that a bill sponsored by O’Connor during his time as a city councilman changed the city’s no-bid contracting rules, which investigators claim were later exploited by the Gainey administration.
“To our knowledge, I’m not sure what that reference was, and we’ll follow up on what bill it might be,” O’Connor said. “But if anything, what I believe is that was a bill from the administration at the time, not my introduction of a bill.”
The administration at the time was led by former Mayor Bill Peduto. While the affidavit does not specify the bill by number, a 2020 ordinance that changed the city’s purchasing rules aligns with the timeline.
However, the legislation does not list a sponsor.
O’Connor’s press secretary stated that a review of city records from 2020 to 2022 shows O’Connor did not introduce, sponsor, or co-sponsor any bill related to the city’s bidding process during that period.
The affidavit also names Mosley, questioning funding received by 1Hood Media, an organization he co-founded. The document says that Mosley recused himself from votes involving 1Hood Media.
“There’s no connections between me and the insinuations and the inaccuracies and the insinuations that are in the document,” Mosley said. “So I couldn’t speak to whatever was mentioned in the document that somehow erroneously tries to tie me to any funding that 1Hood Media received from the city.”
When asked about his connection to 1Hood Media, Mosley confirmed his involvement.
“Absolutely. I’m a co-founder, and I’ve been involved with 1Hood Media for a long time,” he said. However, he denied any involvement in the no-bid contracts under investigation, stating, “No involvement at all.”
The district attorney’s office has not responded to requests for comment regarding the claims in the search warrant.