Newly elected City Councilwoman Barb Warwick facing 2 Democratic challengers

Months after being sworn in, Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, is preparing to face two Democratic challengers in the May primary as she looks to keep the seat she won in a special election in November.

Warwick, who joined council in December, filled a seat left vacant by Corey O’Connor, who now serves as county controller. She is now looking to win a full term.

Lita Brillman, a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, and Matthew Mahoney, a veteran who ran against Warwick as an independent in the special election, are seeking the Democratic nomination for City Council District 5.

The district includes the neighborhoods of Glen Hazel, Greenfield, Hays, Hazelwood, Lincoln Place, New Homestead, Regent Square, Squirrel Hill South and Swisshelm Park.

Warwick said she’s focused on working for her constituents for the duration of her existing term, while also working on a campaign for a full term.

“I feel like we haven’t really stopped running,” she said. “It’s been like one long election.”

In her first months in office, Warwick said, she’s proud to have been able to move $1.4 million in funding initially designated for the scrapped Mon-Oakland connector project to fund renovations at Burgwin Recreation Center and build a new playground in Lincoln Place.

She also touted that her office has established a policy of responding to all messages from residents within two to three days.

Warwick said she’s focused on forging partnerships with the county and various authorities that operate within the city to ensure the best service for residents.

Brillman, 27, of Greenfield, said she was first considered seeking a role in local politics after the Tree of Life massacre occurred in Squirrel Hill where she grew up. She became interested in gun control, and her research expanded to include issues such as homelessness and crime prevention.

“I just kind of became interested in all these issues,” Brillman said.

She expects to graduate with a master’s degree in public administration in April. She said her education has prepared her for a role in local government. Last year, she said, she consulted for City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger’s office.

If elected, Brillman said her top priorities would include environmental and labor issues — specifically ensuring there are good jobs available in clean energy fields.

“I think in treating environment and labor issues as issues that can really be tackled in tandem, especially in Pittsburgh, this is an amazing place to create clean new union jobs,” she said. “It needs to be a transition that involves the workers, that involves environmental experts, that focuses on the future.”

She said she also would like to focus on homelessness and social services. She said she would like to see more investments in repairing the city’s existing housing stock to convert abandoned homes into affordable housing.

As a queer Jewish person, Brillman said she would bring into office a dedication to fighting for those communities and others who are underrepresented.

“I’ve got skin in the game on these fronts,” she said.

Mahoney, 38, of Greenfield, ran against Warwick as an independent in the special election. He said he has always identified as a Democrat, but decided to run in the special election after the party had selected Warwick as its candidate.

He said he “learned a lot about the process” of running for office from his last bid.

“My number one priority is community engagement,” he said.

Mahoney said his second top priority is ensuring young people have a voice in local government. He said they should be able to voice their ideas to address important issues such as increasing violence in the city.

“The immediate issues facing our communities need to be addressed now,” Mahoney said. “We need to be proactive. That means engaging community residents. Youth need to be at the table.”

Mahoney, who deployed to Iraq with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard at 19, said he feels serving on City Council would be the next step in his community service efforts. He previously worked with AmeriCorps and now works with Sustainable Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania Solar Center.