City Council District 6 Race

City Council's District 6 includes Perry South, North Side, Downtown, Hill District, Strip District and South Oakland, where Councilor Tonya Payne is met by two Democratic challengers: Mark Brentley and Robert Daniel Lavelle.

During her first term in office Councilor Payne says she has made many promising strides, particularly in the Hill District with the upcoming grocery store, the newly opend Carnegie Library branch and a YMCA Center. She also cites more housing developments, noting Bedford Square and others. If re-elected, Payne plans to continue with these projects, as well as making the neighborhoods safer and continuing to focus on what the people in her district want. She claims the current City Council has made more progress in three years than the preceding council made in ten years, and Payne doesn't think it's a kind of progression that either Brentley or Lavelle can beat.

However, Challenger Mark Brentley, who serves as District 8 Chairman, says he decided to run against Councilor Payne because of her lack of involvement with the new Penguins arena and casino development. He says there were many missed job opportunities she overlooked, and there could have been district-fixed employment had there been more involvement. He says he wants to unify the district between the Hill District and North Side. Both neighborhoods have many of the same problems, and both should be taken into consideration when voting.

Challenger Robert Daniel Lavelle agrees that there should've been more involvement with the new arena, and he says that is a direct result from the leadership in council. Lavelle says stimulating economic development is most important in his campaign, and he wants to strengthen the business district to accommodate it to minorities and women.