Ed Gainey

Edward C. Gainey (born February 19, 1970) is an American politician who is the 61st mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Previously, he served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 24th district. In November 2021, Gainey became the first African-American to be elected mayor of Pittsburgh, and assumed office on January 3, 2022. Early life and education Gainey was born and raised in Pittsburgh by a single teenage mom with the help of her mother. When he was very young, the family moved from the Hill District neighborhood to Lawn Street in the South Oakland neighborhood, where they were the second black family to live on the street. When he was seven the family moved to the East Liberty neighborhood. There he attended Peabody High School, where he played basketball, graduating in 1988. In 1994, he graduated with his Bachelor's degree in business management from Morgan State University. Career Early on in his career, Gainey spent six years as a legislative aide to Pennsylvania State Representative Joseph Preston Jr. Gainey's early career also included a period as a special projects manager under Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy. During this period, Gainey worked to promote economic development in East Liberty. Gainey and Preston's relationship later soured, and Gainey first posed a primary challenge to Preston in 2004. In 2006, Gainey challenged Preston for the second time, losing by 94 votes. Gainey later took a position with the City of Pittsburgh under Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in a community development role. In 2010, he became chairman of the city's Democratic Party committee.