Candidate for
Mayor; City of Pittsburgh

About Patrick Dowd

Patrick Dowd is a 41-year old Highland Park resident and father of five. He came to Pittsburgh in 1991 to begin graduate work in history at the University of Pittsburgh, where he later earned a doctorate. He and his wife met here in Pittsburgh, bought a house, and have been renovating it ever since.

"I fell in love with the city immediately and knew I'd never leave," he said.

Member, Pittsburgh City Council

In 2007, Patrick Dowd was elected to represent District 7 in Pittsburgh City Council. With the help of hundreds of volunteers who knocked on thousands of doors, Dowd unseated an entrenched incumbent. In its endorsement, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the choice for Dowd's "fresh thinking and independence" a "no-brainer."

As soon as he arrived in Council, Dowd became a force for change, advocating for transparency, honest accounting, and fiscal responsibility. He believes Pittsburghers deserve to know the true cost of their government so we can make choices together about the future of our City.

As Chairman of the Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, Dowd helped convene a meeting of municipalities whose borders touch the City of Pittsburgh. He believes that working together with our neighbors, we can save tax dollars and deliver better services to the residents of our City.

In just the last few weeks, Dowd has been busy uncovering reckless decision-making at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. A few financial firms have reaped the rewards of a 2008 bond deal that puts the ratepayers of the PWSA at risk of rate hikes or worse. This is not an isolated incident.

We can do better by the citizens of Pittsburgh. We need leadership now.

Dowd believes his most important work on Council has been to demand honest budgets and to make responsible financial decisions. Ultimately, good, honest accounting will help us build and grow the city into the future.

"Pittsburgh is one of America's great cities. But we're at a crossroads and need to make a strong plan to fix what's broken and work hard for what's right" +Patrick Dowd

Member, Board of Education

Before coming to Council, Dowd built a grassroots, thousand citizen-plus electoral coalition, to win the election to represent District 2 on the Pittsburgh Board of Education in 2003. He defeated the incumbent Board President in both the Democratic and Republican Party primaries to the surprise of many. A 2003 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article observed that "Dowd's grass-roots campaign, which attracted residents disenchanted with school board politics, proved that voters can make a difference."

Once elected, Patrick was immediately appointed Chair of the Board's Education Committee. During his tenure, he helped to shepherd dozens of pieces of legislation through the board, often by reconciling the differences of individual members. He was also the primary architect of the superintendent's accountability contract.

It's time to elect a mayor dedicated to transparency, performance-driven governance, fiscal responsibility, and a hopeful and sustainable vision for our future.

Vote Patrick Dowd for Mayor on May 19, 2009.