IMPACT DAY THAT’S COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. ALL RIGHT, MIKE, WE’LL SEE YOU IN A BIT. THANK YOU. NEW TONIGHT AT 11:00. MAYOR ELECT COREY O’CONNOR SITTING DOWN WITH ME FOR A ONE ON ONE INTERVIEW AFTER A VERY BUSY 24 HOURS WITH HIS KIDS AND WIFE BY HIS SIDE AT THEIR POINT BREEZE HOME, O’CONNOR SHARES WHAT THIS VICTORY MEANS TO HIM AND WHAT HIS PLANS ARE NOW THAT IT’S TIME TO GET TO WORK. FOR PITTSBURGH MAYOR ELECT COREY O’CONNOR AND HIS WIFE, KATIE, ARE NO STRANGERS TO A BUSY LIFE. TWO THREE LET’S SEE HOW FAR YOU JUMP. YOU WANT TO TURN HIGH? FIVE WITH TWO YOUNG KIDS AND TWO DOGS RUNNING AROUND, THE 41 YEAR OLD SAYS HIS FAMILY’S SUPPORT AS HE GETS READY TO STEP INTO HIS NEW ROLE AS MAYOR MEANS EVERYTHING. YEAH, I’M JUST A DAD AT HOME AND YOU KNOW, IT’S A GOOD THING THAT YOU CAN JUST BE DAD. YOU CAN BLOCK A LOT OF STUFF OUT AND JUST COME HOME AND HAVE FUN WITH THE KIDS. AND THEY’RE SO YOUNG, SO THROWING FOOTBALLS, BASEBALLS, YOU KNOW, JUMPING AROUND THE HOUSE IS A GOOD THING. IT GETS YOU, YOU KNOW, CENTERED. AGAIN. O’CONNOR BECOMING MAYOR ELECT 20 YEARS AFTER HIS DAD WAS MAYOR. I’VE ALWAYS SAID THERE’S ONLY ONE BOB O’CONNOR. I’M GOING TO BE COREY. BUT A LOT OF LESSONS I LEARNED FROM HIM. I’M GOING TO BRING INTO THE MAYOR’S OFFICE. AND I THINK THAT’S HOW I’VE ALWAYS GOVERNED. AND I THINK THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S IMPORTANT. YOU CAN’T LOSE YOUR ROOTS. AS THE 62ND MAYOR OF PITTSBURGH, O’CONNOR HAS A LOT TO TACKLE, TAKING THE LEAD WHEN THE CITY IS FACING A REVENUE SHORTFALL. ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO RAISE TAXES TO DEAL WITH THAT? SHOULD PITTSBURGHERS EXPECT THAT OR WHAT’S YOUR PLAN? I THINK RIGHT NOW WE DID GET, AS I SAID THE OTHER NIGHT, WE GOT A TEXT FROM MAYOR GAINEY. HIS TEAM IS NOW WILLING TO HAVE A TRANSITION WITH US. SO I THINK GETTING IN THERE WITH OUR TEAM TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, LOOK AT THE PROJECTIONS, LOOK AT THE REVENUE STREAM, SEE WHERE THAT GOES BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY DECISIONS. BUT ALSO LOOKING AT CAN WE CUT SOME WASTEFUL SPENDING BEFORE YOU’D HAVE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE A FEE OF ANY SORT? BUT RIGHT NOW, I THINK WE’RE EAGER TO GET IN AND SEE THE NUMBERS AND GO FROM THERE. ANOTHER BIG AGENDA ITEM FINDING PITTSBURGH, A NEW POLICE CHIEF. I HOPE BY DECEMBER WE CAN NAME SOMEBODY. YOU KNOW, I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S DECEMBER 1ST, BUT BUT TRY TO GET AS CLOSE TO THAT AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE YOU CAN DO A LOT OF BACKGROUND WORK IN THAT MONTH, AND HE OR SHE CAN COME IN AND TALK TO THE RANK AND FILE, TALK TO THE CURRENT COMMAND STAFF, SEE WHAT THEY’RE SEEING, SEE WHAT WE COULD BUILD UPON. BUT I DON’T WANT TO DO A NATIONAL SEARCH THAT WASTES TAXPAYERS MONEY. I THINK WE NEED SOMEBODY THAT UNDERSTANDS PITTSBURGH. MAYBE THEY’RE CURRENTLY HERE, MAYBE THEY’VE RETIRED, MAYBE THEY’VE LEFT AND WANT TO COME BACK. BUT I THINK YOU NEED SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS PITTSBURGH DAY ONE, AND IT WON’T TAKE SIX MONTHS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET AROUND THIS CITY. AND OUR CITY WILL BE IN THE NATIONAL EYE WITH THE NFL DRAFT THIS COMING APRIL. DO YOU THINK THE CITY WILL ACTUALLY BE READY? AND HOW CAN THE MAYOR HELP MOVE THINGS FORWARD? SO I THINK IT’S MAKING SURE THAT THOSE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS HAPPEN, THAT THEY GET DONE IN A TIMELY FASHION. BUT I THINK IT’S ALSO LOOKING AT EMPTY STOREFRONTS THAT WE HAVE. I KNOW THE PITTSBURGH DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP IS WORKING ON A PLAN TO FILL SPACE, AND THAT’S WHY WHEN LAST NIGHT, WHEN WE SPOKE, IT’S WE NEED ALL OF YOU TO WE NEED ALL PITTSBURGHERS TO COME ON BOARD, NOT JUST FOR THE DRAFT, BUT TO GROW IN THE FUTURE. SO IF YOU HAVE A STARTUP, WHETHER IT’S A SHOP, A RESTAURANT, YOU’RE A YOUNG ARTIST, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE A MUSICIAN. IS THERE ANY WAY THERE’S A UNIQUE WAY YOU COULD FILL SOME OF OUR STOREFRONTS, NOT JUST FOR THE DRAFT, BUT ALSO TO PROMOTE YOURSELF WHILE YOU’RE DOWNTOWN. AND I THINK THAT’S A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THAT MANY CITIES DON’T HAVE. AND WE HAVE TO RETHINK HOW WE USE OUR VACANT SPACE LEADING UP TO THE DRAFT. AND ON THAT NOTE, O’CONNOR’S CAMPAIGN DID SET UP A WEBSITE FOR PITTSBURGHERS TO TAKE A SURVEY AND SHARE IDEAS SO HE CAN FIND OUT WHAT YOUR PRIORITIES ARE. THAT WEBSITE IS MAYOR COREY O’CONNOR. DOT COM O’CONNOR SAYS TOMORROW HE IS MEETING WITH OUTGOING MAYOR ED GAINEY TO START THAT TRANSITION. O’CONNOR WIL
ONE-ON-ONE: Mayor-Elect Corey O’Connor speaks on family, future plans after election win
Updated: 11:16 PM EST Nov 5, 2025
Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect Corey O’Connor sat down with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Wednesday night to share what his plans are for the future of Pittsburgh and what being elected as the city’s next mayor means to him. RELATED VIDEO: Pittsburgh’s newly elected mayor Corey O’Connor carries on father’s legacy of thanking voters O’Connor, 41, sat down with Action News 4’s Kristen Powers inside his Point Breeze home, where he expressed the importance of family as he transitions into his new position. “I’m just dad at home, and, you know, it’s a good thing that you can just be dad,” he said. “You can block a lot of stuff out and just come home and have fun with the kids. And they’re so young, so throwing footballs, baseballs, you know, jumping around the house is a good thing. It gets you, you know, centered again.”O’Connor became mayor-elect 20 years after his dad, Bob O’Connor, who served as mayor in 2006. “I’ve always said there’s only one Bob O’Connor. I’m going to be Corey. But a lot of lessons I learned from him, I’m going to bring it into the mayor’s office,” he said. “And I think that’s how I’ve always governed. And I think that’s something that’s important. You can’t lose your roots.”As the 62nd mayor of Pittsburgh, O’Connor has a lot to tackle– taking the lead when the city is facing a revenue shortfall.”I think right now we did get, as I said the other night, we got a text from Mayor Gainey. His team is now, you know, willing to have a transition with us,” O’Connor said. “So I think getting in there with our team to look at the numbers, look at the projections, look at the revenue stream, see where that goes before you make any decisions. But also looking at, can we cut some wasteful spending before you’d have to do something like a fee of any sort? But right now, I think we’re eager to get in and see the numbers and go from there.”Another big agenda item O’Connor spoke on Wednesday night is finding a new police chief.”I hope by December we can name somebody, you know, I don’t know if it’s December 1st, but try to get as close to that as possible, because you can do a lot of background work in that month,” he said. O’Connor continued, saying he would want the next police chief to be someone who is familiar with the city, stating that he would not want to have a national search to fill the position. “He or she can come in and talk to the rank and file, talk to the current command staff, see what they’re seeing, see what we can build upon,” he said. “But I don’t want to do a national search that wastes taxpayers’ money. I think we need somebody who understands Pittsburgh. Maybe they’re currently here, maybe they’ve retired, maybe they’ve left and want to come back. But I think you need somebody who knows Pittsburgh day one, and it won’t take six months to figure out how to get around this city.”In addition, O’Connor will also become mayor in time for the 2026 NFL Draft. He says he wants to ensure that all necessary construction projects will be completed on time, along with finding ways to fill vacant shopping spaces and buildings with new businesses. “So I think it’s making sure that those construction projects happen, that they get done in a timely fashion. But I think it’s also looking at the empty storefronts that we have. I know the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is working on a plan to fill the space,” O’Connor said. “And that’s why when last night when we spoke, it’s we need all of you to, we need all Pittsburghers to come on board, not just for the draft, but to grow in the future.” “So if you have a startup, whether it’s a shop or a restaurant, you’re a young artist, you know, you’re a musician. Is there a unique way you could fill some of our storefronts, not just for the draft, but also to promote yourself while you’re downtown? And I think that’s a unique opportunity that many cities don’t have. And we have to rethink how we use our vacant space leading up to the draft,” he continued. Corey O’Connor’s campaign set up a website for Pittsburghers to take a survey and share ideas so he can find out what Pittsburghers’ priorities are. You can check out the survey here. On Thursday, he said he will be meeting with Mayor Gainey to start the transition. O’Connor will officially be sworn into office on January 5th, 2026. PREVIOUS ELECTION COVERAGE:
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect Corey O’Connor sat down with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Wednesday night to share what his plans are for the future of Pittsburgh and what being elected as the city’s next mayor means to him.
RELATED VIDEO: Pittsburgh’s newly elected mayor Corey O’Connor carries on father’s legacy of thanking voters
O’Connor, 41, sat down with Action News 4’s Kristen Powers inside his Point Breeze home, where he expressed the importance of family as he transitions into his new position.
“I’m just dad at home, and, you know, it’s a good thing that you can just be dad,” he said. “You can block a lot of stuff out and just come home and have fun with the kids. And they’re so young, so throwing footballs, baseballs, you know, jumping around the house is a good thing. It gets you, you know, centered again.”
O’Connor became mayor-elect 20 years after his dad, Bob O’Connor, who served as mayor in 2006.
“I’ve always said there’s only one Bob O’Connor. I’m going to be Corey. But a lot of lessons I learned from him, I’m going to bring it into the mayor’s office,” he said. “And I think that’s how I’ve always governed. And I think that’s something that’s important. You can’t lose your roots.”
As the 62nd mayor of Pittsburgh, O’Connor has a lot to tackle– taking the lead when the city is facing a revenue shortfall.
“I think right now we did get, as I said the other night, we got a text from Mayor Gainey. His team is now, you know, willing to have a transition with us,” O’Connor said. “So I think getting in there with our team to look at the numbers, look at the projections, look at the revenue stream, see where that goes before you make any decisions. But also looking at, can we cut some wasteful spending before you’d have to do something like a fee of any sort? But right now, I think we’re eager to get in and see the numbers and go from there.”
Another big agenda item O’Connor spoke on Wednesday night is finding a new police chief.
“I hope by December we can name somebody, you know, I don’t know if it’s December 1st, but try to get as close to that as possible, because you can do a lot of background work in that month,” he said.
O’Connor continued, saying he would want the next police chief to be someone who is familiar with the city, stating that he would not want to have a national search to fill the position.
“He or she can come in and talk to the rank and file, talk to the current command staff, see what they’re seeing, see what we can build upon,” he said. “But I don’t want to do a national search that wastes taxpayers’ money. I think we need somebody who understands Pittsburgh. Maybe they’re currently here, maybe they’ve retired, maybe they’ve left and want to come back. But I think you need somebody who knows Pittsburgh day one, and it won’t take six months to figure out how to get around this city.”
In addition, O’Connor will also become mayor in time for the 2026 NFL Draft.
He says he wants to ensure that all necessary construction projects will be completed on time, along with finding ways to fill vacant shopping spaces and buildings with new businesses.
“So I think it’s making sure that those construction projects happen, that they get done in a timely fashion. But I think it’s also looking at the empty storefronts that we have. I know the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is working on a plan to fill the space,” O’Connor said. “And that’s why when last night when we spoke, it’s we need all of you to, we need all Pittsburghers to come on board, not just for the draft, but to grow in the future.”
“So if you have a startup, whether it’s a shop or a restaurant, you’re a young artist, you know, you’re a musician. Is there a unique way you could fill some of our storefronts, not just for the draft, but also to promote yourself while you’re downtown? And I think that’s a unique opportunity that many cities don’t have. And we have to rethink how we use our vacant space leading up to the draft,” he continued.
Corey O’Connor’s campaign set up a website for Pittsburghers to take a survey and share ideas so he can find out what Pittsburghers’ priorities are.
You can check out the survey here.
On Thursday, he said he will be meeting with Mayor Gainey to start the transition.
O’Connor will officially be sworn into office on January 5th, 2026.
PREVIOUS ELECTION COVERAGE: