Jake Wheatley, chief of staff to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey for three years, has resigned, according to a statement from the mayor’s office Saturday.

The statement didn’t say what led to Mr. Wheatley’s departure or whether he has another job. In the statement, Mr. Gainey said, "Jake has made extremely important contributions to my administration and the people of Pittsburgh."

Calls to Mr. Gainey’s spokeswoman, Olga George, and to Mr. Wheatley were not immediately returned.

Mr. Gainey has tapped Kyle Chintalapalli, the city’s chief economic development officer since 2022, to fill Mr. Wheatley’s post, according to the statement.

The mayor said Mr. Chintalapalli has “spearheaded efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, organize public and private efforts to revitalize downtown, and modernize the City's development review processes through the Departments of City Planning and Permits, Licenses, & Inspections.” He also serves as the chairman of the boards of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County.

“As Chief Economic Development Officer, Kyle has been essential to my Administration's successes in shaping and fostering equitable economic development, especially our critical work to address the housing crisis. I have every confidence in his ability to step up into the role of Chief of Staff," Mr. Gainey said.

"I'm honored by the confidence Mayor Gainey has placed in me by asking me to take on this challenge," Mr. Chintalapalli said in the statement. "Under Mayor Gainey's leadership, we've begun to rebuild the city government's ability to serve its resident's effectively, fostering inclusive growth, reducing community violence, and empowering our most marginalized residents. I'm excited to support the Mayor as Chief of Staff as we continue that essential work."

In his new role, Mr. Chintalapalli will oversee the city's public relations and strategic initiatives. According to the statement, he will focus on work to “advance the Mayor's housing agenda, which includes both legislative and funding initiatives he shaped as CEDO.”

He joins Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak as one of Mr. Gainey’s two most senior advisers. 

Mr. Wheatley vacated his seat as a state House member representing the Hill District — a position he had held since 2003 — when he joined Mr. Gainey’s administration in 2022. At the time of his appointment, a news release from Mr. Gainey’s office called Mr. Wheatley “an advocate for minority and women-owned business inclusion, quality and equitable education for all children, and social and criminal justice reforms.”

During his tenure as a state representative, Mr. Wheatley was cited by Pittsburgh police in 2018 with summary harassment for an altercation with a rival campaign worker outside a polling place. The incident, which occurred Downtown in May 2018, resulted in Mr. Wheatley being ordered by a judge to undergo anger management training.

Mr. Wheatley himself sought the Democratic endorsement for Pittsburgh mayor in the 2013 primary election, ultimately ceding to former Mayor Bill Peduto.

Mr. Wheatley is the second top city administrator to leave in recent months.

The former police chief, Larry Scirotto, retired in late October, just 16 months after he was sworn in and a week after he announced he would return to officiating college basketball on the side.

Mr. Scirotto had said earlier that month that he planned to return to refereeing NCAA basketball games — an announcement that surprised some city officials who were under the impression he’d given up the side gig when he was tapped as chief in May 2023.

Mr. Gainey gave the chief his blessing to return to officiating, insisting that Mr. Scirotto had improved the bureau to the point where he could do both.

But ultimately, Mr. Scirotto retired, doing “what was best for him and his family, and I’ll leave it at that,” the mayor said of his chief’s departure.

First Published: February 1, 2025, 10:51 p.m.
Updated: February 3, 2025, 1:46 p.m.