Franco "Dok" Harris Starts to Build Platform

Independent Pittsburgh Mayoral Candidate Franco “Dok” Harris has unveiled the first half of his campaign platform that he says will change Pittsburgh into “the city of yes.” Harris wants to refocus the city’s development efforts. He says he will start by building programs that will tap into the “brain trust” at local universities in an effort to help foster new high tech companies. Harris says he will especially focus on business working on sustainable technologies that will help green the city. He says he will help build partnerships and mentorships between existing business leaders and young entrepreneurs. He says Pittsburgh is “the exact right sized city for them not only to live and prosper but also for them to use their technologies to better our environment as proof of concept.” He says he will, “leverage the money private companies want to invest in our city and bet on young entrepreneurs who want to bring brand new technologies that will help Pittsburgh and help the world.”
The second prong is a focus on local businesses. Harris says he will help empower small business owners to help them create jobs that employees can walk to and that offer fair wages and benefits. He says the city will, “no longer look solely to national chain retailers that funnel money out of the city.” Harris says the city must offer the property it already holds at low or no rent for businesses and the new employees they attract to the city.
Harris says he has the experience of working with entrepreneurs while at Pitt and CMU and that has given him the vision and right skill set to help entrepreneurs. That includes the understanding of how to hire the right people to work in the city’s office of small business. He says, “being the “City of Yes” means when you come down to Grant Street we say, “yes, how can we help you help Pittsburgh.””