Mayor Ed Gainey: Grateful for the people who make Pittsburgh the greatest

This year as we gather around tables with our families, friends and neighbors, I ask that we all take a moment to reflect on the year and lift up and celebrate those in our lives that we are truly thankful for.

When I came into office, I knew that I would need a diverse team filled with different backgrounds, lived experiences and beliefs. These differences have helped my administration find new solutions to old problems. This team has done incredible work over the past two years, and I’m thankful for all that they do to help transform Pittsburgh into the safest, most welcoming city in America where everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

Each day we focus on doing what we can to serve the people of Pittsburgh, and each week we take a moment to reflect on the work people from departments across the city do to go above and beyond for our residents. These individuals embody the spirit of “let’s go get it,” and their hard work is recognized by residents and colleagues alike.

After learning that Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) would not be able to support a yearly elementary school basketball league, Ebony Randall knew something had to be done. Randall made the decision to step up and run the Warrington Rec Elementary Basketball League on her own. She connected with schools that were part of the league in the past and set up a place in the Arlington Rec Center for the kids to safely play each weekend.

She was able to bring together PPS elementary school teams, along with teams from our rec centers, and remarkably enough, it was the Warrington Rec team that went undefeated for the 2023 season. None of this would have been possible without Randall’s hard work, and I am thankful for the work she has done to provide safe and organized places for our kids to play.

Ian Reynolds is a Safer Together coordinator for Zones 2 and 3. In his role as the department’s youth sports liaison, he successfully coordinated the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Public Safety, Public Works, Project Huddle Up and our youth football organizations from across the city. Because of his dedication to the coordination of these various ecosystems, youth across our city were able to enjoy a season that was safe without any major incidents. He played a critical role in the success of this year’s football season, and has been instrumental in the growth and success of our youth football programs in Pittsburgh.

Andrew Woods has worked for the city of Pittsburgh for nine years. He is a hard-working man who would give the shirt off of his back to anyone who needs it, a kind and caring person who regularly does random acts of kindness for his co-workers. Woods recently provided a home-cooked meal to the office staff for the Bureau of EMS just because he wanted to provide care and comfort to the hard-working members.

These three dedicated workers are just a small example of the people who keep our city running, people making our city safe and welcoming for everyone. They are the reason we are able to serve our residents and make Pittsburgh the greatest city in America.

Ed Gainey is mayor of Pittsburgh.