About the Mayor

Luke Robert Ravenstahl was born to Bob and Cindy Ravenstahl on February 6, 1980.   Luke's two brothers Brad and Adam soon followed.  Luke and his brothers enjoyed a family and sports-filled childhood in Pittsburgh's North Side.  Luke attended North Catholic High School, where he was a standout student and athlete, and held positions as student council president and captain of the football and baseball teams.  Luke went on to Washington and Jefferson College to earn a degree in Business Administration.  Always a gifted athlete, it was no surprise that Luke joined the W&J football team as a place kicker.  Luke was a captain of that football team, a significant honor for a kicker.  Luke graduated with honors and several football records.  

Inspired by his family- his grandfather was a state representative and his dad is a District Magistrate- and his love of the city in which he was born and raised, Luke decided to dedicate himself to public service.  Running for a seat on Pittsburgh's City Council in 2003 at the age of 23, Luke pulled off the upset of an incumbent and became the youngest member of Pittsburgh City Council in the City's history.  After taking office in January 2004, it didn't take long for Councilman Ravenstahl to make an impact- he unanimously became the President of City Council in December 2005.  Several months later, in a tragic turn of events, Luke Ravenstahl became the 59th Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh on September 1, 2006, upon the untimely death of Mayor Bob O'Connor.  Luke was elected to serve out the remainder of Mayor O'Connor's term on November 6, 2007.      

During his three years in office, Mayor Ravenstahl has been "Getting it Done" for Pittsburghers.  Clean and safe neighborhoods, new development, balanced budgets, diversity, technology, transparency and green are just a few of the ideas that come to mind to define the Ravenstahl agenda.  Recognizing that it is the generous, hardworking families that make up our unique neighborhoods that make Pittsburgh so special, the Mayor has made clean and safe neighborhoods a priority.  Through his Green Up and Taking Care of Business programs, Mayor Ravenstahl is transforming blight into beauty and re-instilling pride of ownership to the residents and small business owners of Pittsburgh. 

The neighborhoods are cleaner.  They are also getting safer.  The Mayor has made great strides in turning the tide against crime.  He has gone "back-to-basics," putting beat cops back on our blocks and armed with new technology to give them more time to patrol our streets. Mayor Ravenstahl has also rallied the neighborhoods themselves-  churches, communities, and neighbors- to join in the fight to keep our streets safer.  And yet, Mayor Ravenstahl also knows that we have lost far too many to drugs and violence. To put an end to senseless drug-related violence, the Mayor has worked with leaders on Council and started initiative that will save lives and bring hope to communities: The Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime (PIRC). This vital effort provides criminals a choice: stop the violence or go to jail. It has worked in every City in which it was implemented. And it will work for us here in Pittsburgh. Additionally, Mayor Ravenstahl has re-opened the Zone 6 police station and the Curfew Center.

Under Mayor Ravenstahl, there have been great strides in job creation and economic development. Forbes Magazine named Pittsburgh one of the top ten cities for job growth in 2009, calling it one of the "best places to look for employment in the new year." Recent articles in Time Magazine and the New York Times have lauded Pittsburgh's below average unemployment rate and recession proof economy and in 2007, Places Rated Almanac named Pittsburgh "America's Most Livable City."

The Mayor isn't only helping to invest in neighborhoods and redevelopment, he is also investing in our families.  He helped turn the Schenley Oval into a "sportsplex" where kids learn the value of teamwork and fair play. A baseball field was rebuilt in Bloomfield, a recreation center was renovated in Arlington, and a senior center was enhanced in Homewood.  A new recreation center is being planned and designed on the North Side and spray parks are going up all over the city.  And then, there is the most potentially important investment in our families of all: the Pittsburgh Promise.  The Promise is an innovative student scholarship program that is expected to improve our school system and expand the City's tax base perhaps.  This year, more than 800 youths will benefit from the Pittsburgh Promise, receiving scholarships to put them on the path to a brighter future. As families across the country are struggling to put their kids through school, there are no limits to what is possible in Pittsburgh.

Under Ravenstahl's watchful eye, Pittsburgh is also regaining financial stability. He's balanced the last three budgets, built a savings account of nearly $100 million, watched the City's bond rating get upgraded four times in two years, and instituted a "no new debt" policy.  Under the Ravenstahl administration, Pittsburgh is becoming the black, gold and green city.  Pittsburgh has become a national leader in green building and with the hiring of the City's first sustainability coordinator, a greener, cleaner, more sustainable city is emerging.  Mayor Ravenstahl, the first Pittsburgh mayor to have a computer in his office, has made technology a top priority. Through various new technologies for police and BBI the Mayor has empowered officers and inspectors to spend less time behind desks doing paperwork and more time out in our neighborhoods keeping residents safe.   Mayor Ravenstahl has made diversity a priority as well.  For the first time in our City's history we have both an African-American police and fire chief and we have programs in place to continue outreach to make our workforce as diverse as the City itself.

And Luke has accomplished all of this while being not only the youngest Mayor in Pittsburgh's history, but the youngest mayor of any major U.S. city, garnering a national reputation for young leadership that has turned the world's eyes toward Pittsburgh's success and rebirth. 

As important as public service is to Luke, his first love is his family.  In 2004, he married his high school sweetheart, Erin.  Like the Mayor, Erin is a life long resident of the North Side. This past Halloween, Luke and Erin welcomed their first son, Cooper Luke to the Pittsburgh family.  You can often see Cooper out and about at events with his dad. Luke, Erin and Cooper live in the City's Summer Hill neighborhood.