By Addie Smith and Brittney Jackson | The Duquesne Duke
The mayor’s seat isn’t the only spot open for election that will affect Duquesne students. Candidates are battling for vacancies on City Council in the 7th District and the 8th District, and we at The Duke have profiled the candidates for you.
7th District
Tony Ceoffe Jr. ran for city council in 2011 with no luck, so he wants to ensure a new result this time around. Ceoffe works for the Housing Authority and believes his work with the organization can help him in City Council. Ceoffe made a name for himself earlier this year when he contested fellow candidate Deb Gross’s winning of the Democratic Party nomination in court. He ended up losing the challenge and continued to run as an independent candidate.
You should vote for Ceoffe because: he hopes to use his experiences working in Housing Authority to make living in Pittsburgh better.
Tom Fallon owns Urban Green Development, a company that guts and refurbishes homes in blighted developments. Fallon worked for city councilman Jim Ferlo. Fallon believes government should be run by the people, not unions or big businesses. Fallon wants to put the budget back into the city council’s hands and work with school districts to educate children and strengthen communities so kids will be proud of their homes.
You should vote for Fallon because: he plans to reintroduce the budget to City Council and work with the mayoral administration to strengthen Pittsburgh.
Deb Gross has worked with a variety of community organizations and non-profits and has raised over $3 million for specific issues in the region. Gross wants to focus on economic development by working with small businesses and larger manufacturing firms and providing business support by helping people develop business plans and assess risk.
You should vote for Gross because: she plans to enhance the Pittsburgh economy and address environmental issues.
Dave Powell has been chairman of the Libertarian Party for about 10 years. Powell worked for Ron Paul’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012 and other state representatives and senate campaigns. He plans to shift from taxing structures for property taxes and instead institute a land value tax. Powell also advocates dispatching more officers on the streets and guarding citizens’ privacy.
You should vote for Powell because: he will replace the current property tax system and transform the Pittsburgh pension system.
Jim Wudarczyk is an independent candidate running on a platform advocating for public safety. He hopes to increase the police force within the 7th District as well as work towards making it safer with road improvements. He also hopes to work on the city’s financial plan and believes his background in business will help him. Wudarczyk also would like to work with the school board to improve the school district.
You should vote for Wudarczyk because: he will help to make this city safer and find room in the budget to add more police force.
8th District
Dan Gilman has worked for current 8th District City Council member Bill Peduto for the past nine and a half years, seven as his chief of staff. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 2004. His primary goal is to bring the city government into the 21st century. He also hopes to work to maintain more young people in the city. As a Pittsburgh native, he watched many of his friends leave before and after college and he wants to see that happen less often. His other main initiative is to have the City Council work more closely with the school board to improve the Pittsburgh school system.
You should vote for Gilman because: he’s young and wants to use his youth to update the city council and the way Pittsburgh is run.
Mordecai Treblow is a retired chemist who received his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972. Treblow hopes to make Pittsburgh more business friendly so that more will stay headquartered in Pittsburgh. Treblow also hopes to audit authorities around Pittsburgh, specifically the Parking Authority, to make them more responsible and accountable.
You should vote for Treblow because: he hopes to make Pittsburgh more business, and therefore more job, friendly.
