Ed Gainey’s Chief of Staff resigned abruptly last week, the latest member of his staff to do so in recent months ahead of November’s election.
Jake Wheatley, the Chief of Staff to Mayor Ed Gainey, resigned without citing a reason, marking the latest in a string of departures from Gainey’s staff. Chief Economic Development Officer Kyle Chintalapalli has been tapped to replace him, according to the Mayor’s office. In recent months, Gainey has lost both his Director of Communications and the city’s Police Chief, marking turnover that may complicate the mayor’s efforts to focus on his reelection bid this November.
Chintalapalli, who has served in his current role since 2022, accepted Gainey’s nomination to succeed Wheatley at a Town Hall meeting last week. “Kyle has been essential to my Administration’s success in shaping and fostering equitable economic development, especially our critical work to address the housing crisis,” Gainey said in a statement. “I have every confidence in his ability to step up into the role of Chief of Staff.” The departure and hiring comes after a period of uncertainty for Pittsburgh’s progressive mayor, both in the turnover on his staff as well as comments he made about refusing to work with President Trump’s immigration goals following his inauguration on January 20th.
Last October, Pittsburgh’s Police Chief Larry Scirotto resigned from his post in the aftermath of a scandal over a deal he made with Gainey to allow him to continue working part-time as an NCAA basketball referee. Scirotto cited his regret that the controversy over his role had turned into a “distraction for the department.” Before that, in August, Gainey’s Director of Communications resigned abruptly over her involvement in signing a political petition that was facing legal battles. Gainey’s office did not go into detail at the time of the resignation and quickly filled the post.
Gainey is in the middle of a reelection bid in November as he seeks his second term as mayor. He is recognized for his work in diversity and equity in Pittsburgh, as well as his public disagreements with Sen. Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania’s new Republican senator. McCormick responded to Gainey’s prior comments on not working with ICE officials or the Trump Administration on deportation initiatives, and called on the mayor to “follow the law and the lead of some other Democratic mayors who are working with law enforcement to keep our cities safe.”
Add Comment