Pittsburgh’s mayor has submitted an additional nominee for the City Planning Commission, as the top union official and political ally also nominated remains blocked by City Council while it seeks clarity on ethics questions.
Mayor Ed Gainey nominated Melanie Ngami, an associate at the architectural firm GBBN, whose online biography describes her as a person who uses “her craft to create spaces that give people room to explore their identities and the history of the land they inhabit.”
If confirmed, she would replace outgoing commissioner Becky Mingo and serve until June 2029.
Ngami participated in the renovations of Carnegie Mellon University’s Sorrells Library and Pennsylvania State University’s Federal House building near Erie, among other projects. She is a member of the Pittsburgh chapter for the National Organization of Minority Architects and was featured in this year’s “30 Under 30” published by the Pittsburgh Business Times.
Council will hold a public interview for Ngami at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
It is considering her while continuing to hold the nomination of Silas Russell, the political director for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, which was submitted by the mayor in March. The union spent heavily to elect Gainey in 2021, and Russell co-chaired the mayor’s campaign and transition team.
Russell previously told the Union Progress that the mayor’s office asked whether he’d be interested in serving on the commission, and he was “excited” to say yes. If confirmed, he’d potentially be able to vote up or down on development projects for UPMC, the health giant with which the union has long had an adversarial relationship as it attempts to represent employees there.
City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, who chairs the committee dealing with nominations, moved to block Russell’s nomination from advancing in council. She then contacted the State Ethics Commission, asking “out of an abundance of caution” whether council could proceed with the nomination and if there were conflict of interest and disclosure policies that should be considered for both council and Russell.
The request to the Ethics Commission cited reports from KDKA-TV, including one with emails showing Russell helped draft talking points for the mayor ahead of a key meeting with UPMC about the health giant potentially contributing more to the city’s coffers. One talking point said the mayor should “need them to commit to a fair election arrangement with SEIU to bring to an end the long and contentious dispute between UPMC and its front-line workers.”
The Ethics Commission’s response in early June, first reported by the Union Progress, said Kail-Smith did not have standing under state law to request advice on the nomination — only Russell himself or Gainey could ask for it — and, even if she were able to submit a request, insufficient information was provided.
Council held a private session Friday morning to discuss the Russell nomination and how to proceed.
Olga George, a spokesperson for Gainey, previously told the Union Progress that the mayor “fully believes that the nomination of Silas Russell is in the best interests of the city.”
She said Monday that Russell is intended to replace Christine Mondor, who had served on the commission for nearly a decade, most recently as chair, before resigning last month due to scheduling conflicts.
Jon, a copy editor and reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is currently on strike and working as a co-editor of the Pittsburgh Union Progress. Reach him at jmoss@unionprogress.com.
