Democratic primary challenger and current Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor’s latest campaign fundraising haul includes thousands of dollars from fossil fuel executives. Thousands more came during previous months of his campaign.
Campaign finance records for March show a total of $4,000 in donations from both the president and the CEO of Allegheny Petroleum Products Company and $1,000 from the chief technology officer of Somerset Coal. Further donations include contributions of $750 or $1,000 each from four executives of Wade Trim, which does natural gas pipeline projects and energy consulting work in the private sector; and a $500 contribution from Erich Landis of Northeast Energy Advisors, which consults with businesses on electricity and natural gas use.
Previous months included a total of $750 from Columbia Gas’s executive, another $1,000 from Landis, $2,000 from the president of oil and natural gas business Vista Resources, and $3,300 from J. Clifford Forrest, owner of Rosebud Mining.
In a written statement to Pittsburgh City Paper, Gainey said he is proud that his campaign rejects donations from “corporate polluters” and noted his signing in 2021 of the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, which has also been signed by high-profile national politicians such as Cory Booker and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Taking this pledge means a politician’s campaign refuses to accept donations of more than $200 from executive, lobbyists, or PACs of “companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution, and/or sale of oil, gas and/or coal.”
“This is yet another example of Corey selling out to powerful special interests — in this case, selling out to corporate polluters at the expense of every person who breathes air, drinks water, or has faced flooding in this city,” Gainey says. “In a Democratic primary, the people of Pittsburgh deserve better than a candidate with the audacity to claim he’d be a climate champion as he’s backed by fossil fuel CEOs, coal magnates, Trump consultants, and MAGA megadonors.”
In a written statement provided by a spokesperson, O’Connor called Gainey’s criticism “hypocritical and dishonest” and claimed the mayor has taken $11,500 from “fossil fuel-related donors.” Of this amount, $5,000 came from large donations from Forrest and his wife, which the Gainey campaign described as an “oversight” and returned in full a few months ago.
The donations to Gainey that O’Connor’s camp highlighted also included a total of $3,500 across donations in 2024 and 2021 from the president of Pittsburgh-based Chrislynn Energy, which does electrical and natural gas management consulting for businesses; an individual who leads electrical energy work at power company NRG; donations associated with Peoples Gas, which works closely with the City of Pittsburgh; and a total of $750 from a Wade Trim employee who leads water operations and who, in March, donated the same amount to O’Connor.
O’Connor further slammed Gainey for, as a state representative, voting in favor of an amended bill that, according to The Associated Press, extended tax credits to petrochemical plants using natural gas, something Gainey allies Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato voted against when they previously served in the Pa. House.
“The Mayor’s attacks are a desperate attempt to distract from his own failures: a looming fiscal crisis, no permanent police chief, and no serious plan for climate resilience,” O’Connor says.
Overall, in March, Gainey raised a total of $142,870.24 to O’Connor’s $257,161.10.
Much has been made of O’Connor’s campaign funding in the media, and Gainey hasn’t shied away from characterizing his opponent as bought by rightwing donors and commercial interests including real estate companies. After early March reports from The Guardian and The Intercept detailed funding of O’Connor’s campaign from Republican donors in the MAGAverse, Gainey held a press conference slamming O’Connor for being the recipient of this money.
A recent press release from Gainey’s campaign announced endorsements from NextGen PAC and Conservation Voters of PA, two prominent environmental advocacy groups. In the press release, Conservation Voters of PA’s Political and Legislative Director praised Gainey’s “98% lifetime score on the Pennsylvania Environmental Scorecard as State Representative” and said that, as mayor, he has been “doubling down.”
As controller, O’Connor issued recommendations for the city to invest more in electric vehicles, and his campaign website outlines support for building “green infrastructure.”
“People support me because I have a plan,” O’Connor’s statement continues. “I will update the Climate Action Plan and invest in flood control, landslide prevention, and green infrastructure. I will modernize city buildings to cut emissions and save money. I will work with anyone to deliver results. Pittsburgh needs a mayor focused on outcomes, not excuses.”
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2025.
