Peduto names Dash as new city planning director
Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday announced a new director of the Department of City Planning.
Andrew Dash, who has been acting director since June 2019, will take the position of director, pending approval from city council.
The department is responsible for neighborhood and parks planning, sustainability efforts, zoning and permitting, public art and Americans with Disabilities Act support.
The mayor’s office credits Mr. Dash with developing the city’s neighborhood planning program and implementing the first phase of those plans, as well as creating the city’s Public Engagement Guide, a guide on integrating public input into decision-making. Additionally, Mr. Dash led efforts to continue the permit and zoning review process and establish virtual Board and Commission meetings during the COVID19 pandemic, according to the mayor’s office.
“I’m honored to lead this Department and the talented staff that we have as we plan for a sustainable and equitable future at such an important moment in Pittsburgh’s history. I look
forward to continuing to learn from Pittsburghers to help create a resilient city where development benefits the city and our neighborhoods and equitably works for all residents,” Mr. Dash said in a news release.
Mr. Dash has been with the department since 2008 when he began as a senior planner. He was named assistant director in 2014. Mr. Dash started his career as a city planner in Akron. He has a bachelor’s degree in geography and planning from the University of Akron. Mr. Dash lives in Manchester.
Mr. Dash is not the only former-assistantturned-acting-director to be named head of a city department this month.
Sarah Kinter, former assistant director to Maura Kennedy at the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections, was named director of that department on June 15.
Ms. Kennedy departed in November for a job with Amazon in Washington, D.C. Ms. Kinter then took on the role of acting director.
Prior to that, Ms. Kinter served as assistant director since October 2017. She came to the department from the city’s Commission on Human Relations where she was the deputy director since June 2011.
Ms. Kinter, of Stanton Heights, holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s in political science and international studies from Wilkes University.
City council is set to vote on Ms. Kinter’s appointment Tuesday.
The administration conducted national searches for both positions that“attracted dozens of candidates,” said Timothy McNulty, mayoral spokesman.