Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey already had two vacancies to fill on the city’s Art Commission. But instead, he’s dismissing all five remaining members. They got the call not from the mayor or his office, but from Planning Commission staff.Mayor talks about Art Commission move: Watch the report above.”New direction. We’re going in a new direction, starting to plan it out now. As always, we’ll talk about it as we go. But these are the type of moves that we think, going forward, we’re going to see that can make the city better,” Gainey told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 during a Thanksgiving Day event.Pittsburgh’s Art Commission is mandated to review all works of art and urban design on city property. This year, they called on the mayor not to bypass the normal public and Art Commission input on design of the new Fern Hollow Bridge. In 2020, they voted for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park.Dismissed Art Commission members tell Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that Planning Commission staff phoned them Friday and the city’s planning director, Karen Abrams, followed up with a formal letter Monday.Andrew Moss, the now-former commission chair and president, said the city “didn’t give any explanation.” He calls the dismissals “highly unusual” when there are already two empty seats for the mayor to fill.Now-former member Richard Parsakian said, “The mayor has the prerogative.”However, Parsakian was “taken aback by the suddenness of it.”Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 asked Gainey if the dismissed members had crossed him or anyone else.”No, I don’t think they crossed me. I think they’ve done good work. I just think it’s about going in a new direction, and I think that’s what we’re looking forward to,” Gainey said.Can the city expect the mayor to be shaking things up at the Planning Commission, the Citizen Police Review Board or other city panels?”Right now, we’re just focused on day-to-day operations, making sure we get the budget passed as well as some of the things we need to do to go forward. So, you know, that other stuff we look at down the road, but we’re going to make the decisions that we think will take the city in the direction that we want to see,” Gainey said.The terms of the five dismissed members end Dec. 31, but they say in the past, old and new members terms overlapped, providing continuity.”We don’t have nobody lined up right now,” Gainey said.Faced with a month to get people with a variety of expertise, is the mayor confident that’s going to work out?”We’ll talk about it. You know, as always,” Gainey said. “When we’re prepared, we’ll come out with it.”Art Commission members are not paid. They are each to have expertise in different fields, like architecture, urban design and art.”I think the Art Commission pissed somebody off,” Moss told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. “Everything he said, it doesn’t add up. There’s more to the story that he’s telling.”
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey already had two vacancies to fill on the city’s Art Commission. But instead, he’s dismissing all five remaining members. They got the call not from the mayor or his office, but from Planning Commission staff.
Mayor talks about Art Commission move: Watch the report above.
“New direction. We’re going in a new direction, starting to plan it out now. As always, we’ll talk about it as we go. But these are the type of moves that we think, going forward, we’re going to see that can make the city better,” Gainey told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 during a Thanksgiving Day event.
Pittsburgh’s Art Commission is mandated to review all works of art and urban design on city property. This year, they called on the mayor not to bypass the normal public and Art Commission input on design of the new Fern Hollow Bridge. In 2020, they voted for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park.
Dismissed Art Commission members tell Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that Planning Commission staff phoned them Friday and the city’s planning director, Karen Abrams, followed up with a formal letter Monday.
Andrew Moss, the now-former commission chair and president, said the city “didn’t give any explanation.” He calls the dismissals “highly unusual” when there are already two empty seats for the mayor to fill.
Now-former member Richard Parsakian said, “The mayor has the prerogative.”
However, Parsakian was “taken aback by the suddenness of it.”
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 asked Gainey if the dismissed members had crossed him or anyone else.
“No, I don’t think they crossed me. I think they’ve done good work. I just think it’s about going in a new direction, and I think that’s what we’re looking forward to,” Gainey said.
Can the city expect the mayor to be shaking things up at the Planning Commission, the Citizen Police Review Board or other city panels?
“Right now, we’re just focused on day-to-day operations, making sure we get the budget passed as well as some of the things we need to do to go forward. So, you know, that other stuff we look at down the road, but we’re going to make the decisions that we think will take the city in the direction that we want to see,” Gainey said.
The terms of the five dismissed members end Dec. 31, but they say in the past, old and new members terms overlapped, providing continuity.
“We don’t have nobody lined up right now,” Gainey said.
Faced with a month to get people with a variety of expertise, is the mayor confident that’s going to work out?
“We’ll talk about it. You know, as always,” Gainey said. “When we’re prepared, we’ll come out with it.”
Art Commission members are not paid. They are each to have expertise in different fields, like architecture, urban design and art.
”I think the Art Commission pissed somebody off,” Moss told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. “Everything he said, it doesn’t add up. There’s more to the story that he’s telling.”
