Standing Committee Meeting - January 14, 2026
Standing Committee Meeting - January 14, 2026
The Standing Committee of the Pittsburgh City Council met on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. Six members were present (Wilson, Salinetro, Charland, Lavelle, Strassburger, Mosley) and three were absent (Coghill, Warwick, Gross). The meeting included public comment, approval of P-card expenditures, and announcements about future meetings.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller (founder of Pittsburgh City Neighborhood Network) spoke about neighborhood boundaries, the lack of robotics initiatives in the Middle Hill neighborhood, and called for elected neighborhood councils to control voting processes. He criticized the naming of the Middle Hill neighborhood as an autocratic decision.
- Yvonne F. Brown (resident of the Hill District, 715 Mercer Street) expressed concern about the removal of security from her 190-unit apartment building, stating that drug users are entering freely. She also paid tribute to Mike Tomlin’s 193 wins and criticized community leader Tim Stevens for controlling questions at public hearings funded by the city.
- Unique Brown (resident, mother) testified about alleged mistreatment by Allegheny Lynx, the county’s domestic violence services provider. She stated that the agency already knew personal details about her and her children, refused to reassess her situation, and offered a hotel in a dangerous location. She called for accountability and said many other women face similar issues.
- Special Agent Sunshine spoke about overcoming drug addiction and homelessness, asserting that her identity was stolen and she is being hacked. She cited biblical verses and urged disconnection from phones.
Discussion Items
- There was no substantive discussion on the sole agenda item (P-cards). The motion to approve was made, seconded, and passed unanimously by voice vote with no debate.
- Councilman Mosley offered a tribute to former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, thanking him for nearly two decades of leadership and noting that the city is preparing to host the NFL draft in April 2026.
Key Outcomes
- The weekly P-card report (December 16, 2025 – January 5, 2026) was approved without objection.
- The meeting concluded with a motion to excuse absent members, approve the minutes, and adjourn, which passed unanimously.
- Announcements were made regarding: an NFL draft briefing at 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM that afternoon; city offices closed January 19 (MLK Day); a public hearing on January 20 on Bill 959 (North Shore Entertainment District gateway signs); and the next regular standing committee meeting on January 21 at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to the standing committee's meeting for Wednesday, January 14th, 2026. All council meetings will be live streamed on the city's website. And for guest speakers joining us at the table, please do not turn off your microphones. Our first order of business is roll call. Will the clerk please take the roll? Mr. Charlotte. Here. Mr. Coghill. Miss Gross. Mr. Lavelle. Here. Mr. Mosley. Miss Salonetra. Here. Miss Warwick. Mr. Wilson. Ms. Strasberger Chair. Here. Five members present. Thank you. Our next order of business is public comment. I would like to remind all speakers that the rules of council state that comments are limited to matters of concern, official action, or deliberation, which are or may be before city council, and profanity will not be permitted. Please state your name and neighborhood for the record. You will have three minutes to speak. And the triplet Pittsburgh City Neighborhood Network, PCNN, USA Country Neighborhood Network, USA CNN, and World Neighborhood Network, WNN. Facilitate Global Local Links for MHN. PCAN, RLM Founder for Pittsburgh, and MHN Pittsburgh. Josephine Baker was born there. USA CNN and WNN, RLM Founder for Pittsburgh, MHN, the Hill Gaulten, Neighborhood in Johannesburg, South Africa. Shao Tu, the Hill, Caduri neighborhood, Hong Kong, Jong Wall, Moro Hill, Dal Providencia, neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, Argentina, Colis. The concerns of council include local government and neighborhood uh business uplift, which I share in my initiatives. Councilor Claymants, um, have you been lately to the fabulous Grandma B's? Grandma B's uh is located at two five three seven Wylie in what is now called the Middle Hill neighborhood. Middle Upper Lower Hills, Hill District, Lower Hill, now called Crawford Roberts. Why? Who decided? Um, there's no evident referendum. Autocratic fiat, in my view. Uh Middle Hill neighborhood borders are Devil Years, Bedford, Heron, Center, Reed, Kirkpatrick, Rose. Who determined this? Um, each of uh of the hills should create a neighborhood council elected by residents of their neighborhood to take control of activities and especially of voting in elections, processing and storing the votes. Um, so the neighborhooders can verify that their votes have not been misplaced or misapplied. There's no legal objection or obstacle um for doing this. Um's is generally highly regarded there in the Middle Hill, but what is not there is robotics.
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