O’Connor, a longtime former City Council representative and ex-Allegheny County controller, was sworn in Jan. 5, the day after CIO Heidi Norman stepped down from the role she had held since 2022. The city is actively looking for qualified candidates for her dual position of CIO and director of the Department of Innovation and Performance, Molly Onufer, its press secretary, said, but there is no timeline for an appointment. Although her permanent replacement has not yet been named, the city’s new mayor has a technology vision of his own.
“There’s a lot that can be done,” O’Connor said of tech-powered improvements for Pittsburgh. They can help streamline the city’s operations, he said, citing permitting as one example: Here, tech could help speed up approval processes. Improving them is one of the mayor’s early priorities.
The mayor will work with IT leaders across the city to better understand the role technology can play. Partnerships with companies that are operating in the city, like Gecko Robotics, may create use cases for government, he said. Whether those partnerships support smoothing processes, inspections or other areas, O’Connor said a collaborative relationship can ensure both the businesses and the city win.
The mayor has tried to be transparent with the public about budget concerns, including on accuracy and future projections that require tightening spending. The administration is not currently considering layoffs, which other local governments have had to implement to address budget challenges.
Technology can play a role here, too, he said, through data analytics, which can help the city assess contract execution, resource allocation and improve monitoring for maintenance operations.
Over the past summer, the city had working groups explore how different technologies have helped other cities and how they might similarly help Pittsburgh. The research helped officials assess areas that could be improved with efficiency, and they can now start to apply those findings, O’Connor said.
OPPORTUNITY IS CALLING
His cold-calling approach to attract companies to the city is “not going to hurt,” O’Connor said, indicating the calls could help introduce new businesses to Pittsburgh or offer support to those already there. He has contacted businesses in Pittsburgh, across the country and internationally.
“And I think selling Pittsburgh is so unique compared to what other cities can do,” O’Connor said.
Part of his strategy is to let tech and AI companies know what Pittsburgh can offer the private sector. This, he said, includes talent and space to build, and an existing ecosystem of AI and robotics companies operating in the community.
The city can support these businesses with grants for facades, by exploring possible solutions to address equipment needs, or even partnerships with the state or county to create incentives. Giving his cellphone number to company CEOs also helps the mayor of the city of more than 300,000 build a personal connection.
These moves may support opportunities for business growth, but they can also generate more jobs for residents.
“So, I think this is momentum that’s actually going to benefit Pittsburghers long term, and I think that’s something that we really like about doing those calls,” O’Connor said.
Response to his telephoning has been varied. Some recipients, O’Connor said, did not believe the city’s mayor was calling them directly. Others had left Pittsburgh and offered feedback about how retainment could be improved. He has called tech company CEOs, small businesses and even restaurants, one of which responded by trying to take the mayor’s order. His calls don’t include a direct ask, but rather, an introduction.
Elsewhere, the city government’s support for the private sector is largely led by Steve Wray, its director of economic development, and Mary McKinney Flaherty, the deputy director of economic development, whose focus is primarily on small businesses. Both are involved in selling Pittsburgh, both locally and abroad.
In some cases, the mayor said, the conversations his calls generate may encourage companies that had never considered moving to Pittsburgh to do so. People who have never visited may be surprised to see its culture, art and food industries, O’Connor said: “We get you here first, and then we sell it even more at that point.”
