City fund investigated after alert from worker

A Pittsburgh watchdog agency is looking at a city trust fund after a worker made an internal notification, Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration said Monday.

Specifics were few, with Mr. Peduto telling reporters that he could not detail the issue publicly amid an active investigation. His spokeswoman, Katie O’Malley, said the Office of Municipal Investigations is handling the matter.

“OMI was asked to perform an investigation into the Great Race Trust Fund to ensure that fund transactions were going through the proper controls and approval processes administered by city entities such as [the Office of Management and Budget] and City Council,” Ms. O’Malley said in a statement. She said she could not discuss specifics and that the “issue is under review.”

“To be honest with you, I’m concerned about what I have learned about the investigation,” Mr. Peduto said. “But I’ll let the investigation continue before making any conclusions.”

He said he could not identify precisely what’s under review or what he has discovered, citing the integrity of the investigation.

“We were first notified from an employee” in the Department of Parks and Recreation, Mr. Peduto said. City solicitor Lourdes Sanchez-Ridge declined to comment.

The Great Race, an annual running event, will celebrate its 40th anniversary Sept. 24. It includes a 10-kilometer run, a 5-kilometer run and a 5-kilometer fitness walk that end Downtown. Participation this year is capped at 16,500 people, according to the event website.