Mayor Ed Gainey isn’t wasting time in showing he’s a new kind of chief executive for Pittsburgh. When Mr. Gainey ran for the top job against a Democratic incumbent, he campaigned on a promise to run a more inclusive and accessible administration.
Nearly two months after taking office, Mr. Gainey, who himself made history as Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor, has made good by making the tactically wise and historic appointment of Maria Montaño, 40, as his press secretary.
As Mr. Gainey’s spokesperson, Ms. Montaño becomes the city’s highest-ranking Latina and the first openly transgender woman to serve in any major role in a mayoral administration in Pittsburgh. She comes to the job with a resume that includes a decade as the voice of Pennsylvania’s largest union of health care and hospital workers.
Inevitably, the historic appointment of Ms. Montaño as the first trans woman in the job will, initially, generate the most headlines and hype, overshadowing her impressive record and fierce advocacy as spokesperson for workers in one of the regional economy’s most important sectors.
One day — and we hope soon — the appointment of a trans woman, or trans man, will barely warrant a mention. But that day hasn’t come. Unhappily, snide remarks about her abilities, based on preconceptions and misconceptions, will come with the job.
But Ms. Montaño has encountered them before. For as long as she’s been an openly trans woman, they’ve never kept her from doing her job. With toughness and grace, she’s navigated the rough-and-tumble of union shops, corporate boardrooms and public meetings while advocating for the interests of her union brethren.
Instead of undermining her, resistance has made her a better, more effective and stronger professional.
Ms. Montaño’s appointment to arguably the highest profile job in the Gainey administration, aside from the mayor’s, is not an empty or symbolic gesture. In making it, Mr. Gainey has bet a large part of his success on her ability to handle a job that will help define his administration.
Her competence in serving him and the city is what matters most to the new mayor.
We hope it won’t be long before that is also what matters most to the people of Pittsburgh.
First Published: February 16, 2022, 5:00 a.m.
