2 weeks Ago By Julia Maruca
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s chief of staff, Jake Wheatley, has resigned, the mayor’s office announced Saturday. The statement said that Wheatley's resignation was made earlier this week, on Wednesday, January 29. In it, Gainey said, "Jake has made extremely important contributions to my administration and the people of Pittsburgh," during his three years in the administration.
Gainey’s chief economic development officer, Kyle Chintalapalli, will replace Wheatley, the statement said. The statement did not indicate the reason for Wheatley's departure. Olga George, a spokesperson for the mayor's office, originally told WESA that Wheatley was going to work on "the campaign side," as Gainey seeks re-election to another four-year term.
But Gainey's campaign manager, Sam Wasserman, told WESA that the campaign did not have a role for him. That doesn’t rule out a possible role for Wheatley ahead of the May primary election. Independent political advocacy groups are also expected to take a part in the upcoming election, supporting Gainey and his Democratic rival, Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor: Such groups are often barred from communicating directly with campaigns.
In any case, George later said she misspoke, and that she could only confirm Wheatley's departure, and Chintalapalli's new role. When asked why the mayor’s office chose to announce Wheatley’s resignation several days after it took effect, Gainey spokesperson Olga George said the mayor “had to decide who was going to fill [Wheatley’s] slot, and it wasn’t an easy decision.” She could not speak to the timing of when the decision was made.
Wheatley, who previously served alongside Gainey when the two were in the state House, has been with the administration since the outset. Wheatley represented the 19th District from 2003 to 2022. Prior to being hired as Gainey’s chief of staff, he served as chairman of the Minority Finance Committee in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Chintalapalli has served in the administration since 2022; he also serves as the Chairman of the Boards of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. In the statement, Gainey praised Chintalapalli’s work as part of his administration in “shaping and fostering equitable economic development, especially our critical work to address the housing crisis.” “I have every confidence in his ability to step up into the role of Chief of Staff,” Gainey said.
Chintalapalli will now oversee Pittsburgh’s public relations and strategic initiatives, in addition to retaining his economic development portfolio, the statement said. Chris Potter contributed to this story..
