Pittsburgh's People of the Year 2021: Politics

The Steel City saw significant progressive happenings in 2021: successful ballot initiatives to ban no-knock warrants in Pittsburgh and to limit solitary confinement in the Allegheny County Jail; five local judges elected on campaigns to reshape an unjust criminal justice system; a new effort formed to build progressive power within the old-school Allegheny County Democratic Committee; and, state Rep. Summer Lee (D-Swissvale) launched her campaign for Congress. And there was one Pittsburgher who played a part in them all. Ross Tedder is an organizer for UNITE PAC, a political group working to get authentically progressive candidates elected in Southwestern Pennsylvania. His work there has been notable, but he also helped with the yeoman’s task of collecting thousands of signatures for the successful ballot initiatives. Before assisting Lee in her campaign launch, the East End resident played a hand in the launch of the Allegheny County Independent Democratic Committee. Tedder’s work ethic has been impressive and his ethos is clear: One progressive victory down, and it's time to move on and build up the next one.

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