Longtime Pittsburgh public servant Guy Costa, whose career in city and county public service spanned four decades, will retire this spring, and city residents young and old will no longer be able to count on the public face of snow removal to make rough weather days a little easier.
“The best was when my son and [his] friends found out I had some input [on school cancellations],” he said as he reminisced in his office Wednesday. “His friends would say, ‘Hey, tell your dad we want a two-hour delay.’”
His last day will be March 31.
“I worked for four mayors, I’ve been fortunate,” Mr. Costa, 63, said.
Mr. Costa has been serving as the city’s chief of operations since Mayor Bill Peduto appointed him shortly after taking office in 2014.
"No one has worked harder for the people of Pittsburgh than Guy Costa – he is constantly out on city streets, often early in the morning or late at night, fixing problems, responding to complaints and overall just making the city he loves a better place to live. He is irreplaceable," Mr. Peduto said.
Mr. Costa is the last remaining chief from Mr. Peduto’s original cabinet.
“I was going to retire earlier. I talked to the mayor and I was going to retire in January, but I felt that I needed to work one more winter,” he said with a laugh.
Mr. Costa, who served as director of the city’s Department of Public Works from 1999 to 2009, became recognizable for his local news appearances talking about Pittsburgh’s inclement weather.
“Folks need to know that we’re out there, our crews are out there doing the best job they can,” he said. “There were people who told me they planned their day around what I would say.
Mr. Costa spent time working in county government as well as in the education field, and he even spent time sweeping floors at the Civic Arena for $3.75 an hour.
An education major, Mr. Costa graduated from Duquesne University in 1978. He started his career as a part-time teacher until 1980, and crossed paths as a student teacher with then-high school student Wendell Hissrich, now the city’s public safety director.
Mr. Costa left teaching to pursue full-time work in government at the urging of his father, Jay Costa Sr., a leader in local Democratic Party politics who served as Allegheny County treasurer.
His politically connected family included three state legislators until recently. His brother Jay Costa Jr., D-Forest Hills, still serves in the state Senate, as the minority leader.
Guy Costa began working for the Allegheny County Public Works Department in 1980 as a maintenance manager and then was promoted to operations manager. From 1990 to 1994, Mr. Costa worked as a manager in the county’s Department of Development where he helped oversee the demolition of the Duquesne and McKeesport steel mill sites.
In 1994, Mayor Tom Murphy hired Mr. Costa as the director of the city’s Parking Authority, where some of his notable accomplishments included bringing parking enforcement officers out of the police bureau and into the authority as well as building the Oliver Avenue garage and adding the Second Avenue parking and shuttle service.
“Guy was the consummate public servant. There was no question that he would be able to get things done,” Mr. Murphy said Wednesday. “He was very efficient, and that’s why we moved him from the Parking Authority to Public Works. So much of what Public Works does is in people’s lives. There’s legendary stories about mayors all over the country losing their jobs because of snow not being cleared. It’s a very sensitive job.”
In March 1998, Mr. Costa became director of General Services, then was moved to Public Works as an acting director and was sworn in as director shortly thereafter.
In 2005, during his tenure as Public Works director, Mr. Costa was diagnosed with multiple brain tumors, which he continues to monitor closely with his doctors.
He worked under Mayor Bob O’Connor during his eight months as mayor in 2006 before Mr. O’Connor died of a rare brain cancer.
“You have a political type family that you’re used to, and then a private one,” said councilman Corey O’Connor, son of the late mayor, who lives near Mr. Costa’s Squirrel Hill home. “He was always there, he’s a neighbor. He’s always willing to do stuff for the city. He’s everywhere representing not only the mayor’s office but the city.”
In 2009, Mr. Costa retired after a public falling out with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl over a disciplinary issue.
He returned to county government, but took a leave in 2013 to lead the Peduto for Mayor campaign.
“It sounded exciting,” he said. “I was really, really honored.”
Mr. Costa said that under Mr. Peduto’s administration the city is the best he’s seen in 40 years.
The worst day of his career? Oct. 27.
“The worst day of my life was probably the Tree of Life situation,” said Mr. Costa, who lives blocks away from the synagogue where 11 worshippers were killed. “I had friends who were in there who knew four of the victims and the [injured] police officers.”
Though he is retiring, Mr. Costa will remain active in community events, including helping to organize the annual Little Italy Days in Bloomfield. He said he plans to travel with his wife and continue to take care of his mother, who is 90.
“It’s been a great ride,” he said.
Ashley Murray: 412-263-1750, amurray@post-gazette.com or on Twitter at @Ashley__Murray
First Published: January 23, 2019, 8:23 p.m.
