2013 election
In December 2012, Peduto officially launched his third mayoral campaign, announcing that he would challenge Ravenstahl in the 2013 mayoral primary, and was immediately endorsed by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. He simultaneously announced that he would not seek reelection to the city council. Ravenstahl announced in March 2013 that he would not seek another term as mayor. Several other candidates launched campaigns, but after Ravenstahl's exit, it became a two-way race between Peduto and former Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner. In the May 21 primary, Peduto defeated his opponents, receiving 52% of the vote. Wagner, his closest challenger, received 40%.
In November 2013, Peduto defeated Republican candidate Joshua Wander, who lived in Israel at the time of the election, and independent candidate Lester Ludwig, receiving 84% of the vote. He was inaugurated on January 6, 2014.
Administration
Early in his term, Peduto made modernizing Pittsburgh's government a priority. Particular focus was given to the newly created Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections which replaced the former Bureau of Building Inspection. Prior to 2014, the Department had only 10 computers for 80 staff members and no online permitting. Today, the City of Pittsburgh has a fully online permitting system.
Peduto's efforts in favor of city government reform continued into his mayoral administration. Under his tenure, Pittsburgh was removed from Act 47 municipal financial distressed status after 14 years under oversight. Peduto's tenure brought the city's pension funded ratio from under 40 percent to over 60 percent, and he was credited for his efforts to turn around the city's deficit and pension crisis. Peduto's administration cut the city's debt in half and built a city reserve fund to around $120 million.
In early September 2014, Peduto announced the hiring of Cameron McLay as Pittsburgh Chief of Police, which resulted from an extended search following the resignation and subsequent conviction of Nate Harper on charges of tax evasion and slush fund conspiracy. Hiring McLay was among Peduto's first efforts in police reform in Pittsburgh through data-driven strategies and community policing.
Between 2019 and 2020, Peduto announced steps to turn around Pittsburgh's long-troubled Water and Sewer Authority. After making leadership changes and major investments, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority announced its lowest lead levels in 25 years.
Innovation and investment programs
Peduto was an early advocate for ride-sharing in Pittsburgh. After the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission issued cease-and-desist orders in July 2014, Peduto called on the state legislature to allow ride-sharing operators to legally operate in Pittsburgh. Subsequently, ride-sharing service Lyft acquired temporary approval for operation in August 2014 pending a hearing regarding a permanent license.
Peduto's administration prioritized partnership with Pittsburgh's large nonprofit "eds and meds" to secure their contribution to services and development in the city that could not be addressed by city government. In July 2014, Peduto and the City of Pittsburgh dropped a lawsuit that Ravenstahl had launched against UPMC, challenging its tax-exempt status. Peduto said the suit impeded progress in ongoing negotiations between UPMC and the city on taxes. Announced in 2021, Peduto's "OnePGH" plan committed a total of $115 million in contributions from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, UPMC, and Highmark toward "investments in children, the workforce, housing, health, the environment, recreation, mobility, infrastructure and culture."
Peduto's tenure also included record investments in Pittsburgh's parks system. He successfully pushed for the passage of a local parks tax referendum to support capital projects.
Economic development
In 2015, Peduto unveiled an initiative for city investment at an international summit in collaboration with the Heinz Endowments called p4, corresponding to metrics that evaluated new projects' contribution to "people, planet, place, and performance." Such metrics were used to evaluate, select, and standardize potential projects and provided a framework for job growth, neighborhood revitalization, and other city initiatives. The p4 initiative birthed several large-scale ventures including Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Envision Downtown, Neighborhood Allies/Policy Link’s ”All in Pittsburgh,” the Brookings Institution’s Innovation District, and the p4 Performance Measures for Sustainable Development.
Climate and sustainability policy
Peduto prioritized innovative sustainability policies in Pittsburgh. He served as the North America representative to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and on the board of ICLEI North America, committing Pittsburgh to the ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability Network. He also committed Pittsburgh to carbon neutrality by 2050. Additionally, Peduto led the drafting and implementation of Pittsburgh's three Climate Action Plans.
In 2017, Peduto responded to a statement by President Donald Trump claiming that he "was elected by voters of Pittsburgh, not Paris" (in reference to United States' departure from the Paris Agreement). On Twitter, Peduto affirmed that Pittsburgh was committed to the guidelines of the Paris Agreement.
Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting
On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven people and wounded six in the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, the deadliest antisemitic attack on a local Jewish community in American history. As mayor, Peduto led the emergency and recovery response, including organizing care for victims' families and advocated for gun control on national news media platforms. In 2024, he earned the Righteous Among the Neighbors award by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for his leadership following the shooting.
Other activities
Peduto appeared on the CBS television series Undercover Boss in December 2014 as "Ed Chadwick". Following the premise of the show, Peduto disguised himself as a municipal worker to observe rank-and-file Pittsburgh employees.
On August 18, 2020, Pittsburgh residents protesting police brutality demonstrated outside Peduto's home, staying until 10 am the next day, when police officers declared the assembly unlawful. Later on the 19th, Peduto released a statement criticizing the protests, saying that any demonstration in his residential area "crosses a line that cannot be allowed to continue". The mayor's office later announced that Peduto would be at his home that evening to speak to protesters.
Reelection campaigns
Peduto announced on December 14, 2016, that he was running for reelection in 2017. He faced two challengers in the May primary: John Welch, a progressive minister who challenged Peduto from the left, and city councilwoman Darlene Harris, a longtime foe, who had not filed an official campaign organization. He defeated both to win the Democratic nomination, and did not face any Republican candidate in the general election, as none filed to run in the primary. Peduto was reelected with approximately 96% of the ballots cast on November 7, 2017.
In January 2021, Peduto formally announced his intention to seek a third term in the 2021 election. He lost the May Democratic primary to Ed Gainey in the wake of demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism in 2020.
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