HARRISBURG — Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor is slotted to become Allegheny County’s next county controller.
A Pennsylvania Senate committee nominated Mr. O’Connor for the position, after the spot was vacated by former controller Chelsa Wagner, who’s now a Court of Common Pleas judge. Judge Wagner was elected last year and vacated her office as controller in January.
Mr. O’Connor has represented City Council’s fifth district since 2012. He plans to resign if he is confirmed by the state Senate, he said Wednesday.
The full Senate will vote to confirm Mr. O’Connor at a to-be-determined date, a Senate GOP spokeswoman said.
Mr. O’Connor submitted a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this year, asking to be nominated to the position, he said.
As a city councilman, Mr. O’Connor noted his work to balance Pittsburgh’s budget and get the city out of its Act 47 designation as a municipality under financial distress.
“This is an oversight, independent job and based on a lot of my votes and how I’m able to work with other councilmembers, I put the taxpayers first,” Mr. O’Connor said.
Until the full Senate confirms his nomination, Mr. O’Connor said he’s still continuing his duties as a city councilman.
Once he’s approved to fill this vacancy, Mr. O’Connor said he’s interested in analyzing the county’s environmental impact since its last report in 2008 and its budget accessibility and transparency.
“If this were to be offered, I think my [experiences] go a long way and I think I’m qualified to have that job,” Mr. O’Connor added.
During his 10 years on City Council, Mr. O’Connor has worked on a number of issues, including gun control reforms and abortion access. After the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in his district, Mr. O’Connor co-sponsored legislation to ban assault weapons in public places. This case is still being litigated today, with Mayor Ed Gainey announcing on Monday that the city would appeal the case to the state Supreme Court.
Just this week, Mr. O’Connor co-sponsored City Councilman Bobby Wilson’s three-bill package to protect abortion access in the city after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week.
The lifelong Pittsburgh resident is the son of the late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor, who died during his first term in 2006.
Gillian McGoldrick; gmcgoldrick@post-gazette.com or on Twitter @gill_mcgoldrick
First Published: June 29, 2022, 8:00 p.m.