2023 Primary Election: Pittsburgh City Council District 7

Deb Gross
(click pic for candidate’s website)

Jordan Botta
(click pic for candidate’s website)

There is a contested primary election race for Pittsburgh City Council District 7: between incumbent Deb Gross and her Democratic challenger, analyst Jordan Botta.

There are no Republican candidates for this seat.

Pittsburgh District 7 comprises the neighborhoods of Bloomfield, Friendship, Highland Park, Lawrenceville, Morningside, Polish Hill, Stanton Heights, and the Strip District.

Deb Gross’s answers to our voter guide questions for the Primary Election on May 16 are below. Jordan Botta did not respond to our questionnaire. You can also learn more about these two candidates in the WESA 2023 Primary Election Voter Guide.

2023 Voter Guide Questions: 

Roughly 1 in 5 Pittsburgh residents are food insecure, and large sections of the city, especially many predominantly Black neighborhoods, do not have access to healthy affordable food.

1) What would your priorities be as City Councilmember for the deployment of the Pittsburgh Food Justice Fund that the council passed in December?

Botta:

No response.

Gross:

I am proud to have been the lead sponsor and partner on the creation of the Food Justice Fund. My top priorities are:

1. To ensure that the Food Justice Fund Committee submits a report to Council by July 4, 2023 as required by City Council resolution

2. To ensure that community voices are included in the allocations and outcomes

3. To see investments in the production, processing, aggregation, distribution, retailing, and disposal of food.  That translates to farms, food makers, food warehouses, community, kitchens, transportation, bodegas, grocery stores, and restaurants.  That means food is available to the people who need it.

4. Local control of food systems and end of food apartheid

5. To align allocations with Healthy Food Priority Access area

2) What other legislation or policy measures would you support to address hunger and food apartheid in the city?

Botta:

No response.

Gross:

I am proud to be the lead member of City Council on hunger issues and ending food apartheid.  I have sponsored multiple post agendas to educate Council Members and sponsored multiple budget allocations and resolutions on food justice. If re-elected:

1. I will advance initiatives to secure permanent green space for agriculture

2. I will sponsor budget increases for food distribution at recreation centers and through nonprofit partners

3. I will increase allocations to community groups to end hunger with churches, after school programs, and summer programs

4. I will expand the Community Agroforestry programs that I have piloted in District 7 across the city.  In the last three years I have supported and partnered to plant 200+ food bearing native shrubs and trees

5. I will expand the City Farms program that I piloted across the city to use City resources to increase food production in acreage, production, and distribution by affirmatively supporting community agriculture with funding, investments of materials, and personnel

6. Expand the City Farms Coordinators that I piloted with the Department of Parks and Recreation, currently two part-time positions,  to create a full-time team of personnel who will proactively reach every community garden and farm in the city to assist them with resources to increase food production.