Fourth time the charm for council candidate Coghill

Ties to firefighters, police unions play big role in victory

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lifelong Beechview resident Anthony Coghill easily won the Democratic nomination Tuesday for a Pittsburgh City Council seat, defeating rival Ashleigh Deemer.

Mr. Coghill, 50, a roofing contractor, lost three previous races for the District 4 slot. In a brief statement Tuesday night, he commended Ms. Deemer and said he was “elated and humbled.”

“My team and I knocked on thousands of doors during this campaign, talking to many community members along the way. I am proud to call these citizens my friends, and I am proud to call this district my home,” said Mr. Coghill, who campaigned on a “Back to Basics” theme that targeted litter, infrastructure and city services such as paving. “I look forward to representing all of our neighbors in City Council District 4.”

The Nov. 7 general election is likely to pit him against Cletus CibroneAbate, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary for the heavily Democratic district in the South Hills. It includes Brookline, Overbrook and Carrick and some adjoining neighborhoods.

Coghill supporters touted his business background, long-standing community ties and emphasis on core city functions. Chris Spang, 41, of Overbrook said he trusts Mr. Coghill’s instincts on neighborhood revitalization.

“A lot of it lies with business. He’s a businessman,” Mr. Spang said.

City Councilman Corey O’Connor said he expects to see “a neighborhood quality” from Mr. Coghill.

“We tend to look at the bigger picture on council when we also need to be looking at neighborhood [concerns],” Mr. O’Connor said. “I think he’ll help bring us back to more of that focus.”

Mr. Coghill’s victory capped a hard-fought race with Ms. Deemer, 34, of Beechview, who is chief of staff for sitting District 4 Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak.Ms. Rudiak declined to seek a third term.

“I think that we’re going to have to take some time to digest what happened today and why. I don’t have a diagnosis yet,” Ms. Deemer said late Tuesday.

She wished Mr. Coghill “all the success — because his success is our district’s success.” She said she won’t back away from community work but hasn’t decided what’s next for her.

While she stirred enthusiasm in groups such as the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, Mr. Coghill’s endorsements included the city police and firefighters’ unions. Many public safety workers live in District 4, said Coghill campaign volunteer Ray Matthews, 61, of Overbrook.

“Sometimes when things don’t work well, you’ve got to get back to basics, start over and work your way up,” Mr. Matthews said.

He and other poll observers said turnout appeared low in the district, even for a season without a presidential race. A similar primary date in 2013 saw Democratic voter turnout of 23 percent in Allegheny County, said county elections division manager Mark Wolosik. Republican turnout that day was about 17 percent.

Mr. Wolosik was expecting similar numbers Tuesday, although he predicted turnout could trend higher in District 4. The district saw the primaries’ only competitive City Council race in Pittsburgh.

Council incumbents Theresa Kail-Smith in District 2, R. Daniel Lavelle in District 6 and Dan Gilman in District 8 all were unopposed in their re-election efforts. Ms. Rudiak, who endorsed Ms. Deemer, said her office has “bent over backward for constituents” and landed District 4’s fair share of city services.

“It’s really, really hard to win when a political establishment is against you,” Ms. Rudiak said, referring to a range of Coghill endorsements from elected officials. “I think this, in a way, raises more questions than answers about why the political establishment didn’t support Ashleigh Deemer as a candidate.”