After Tony Moreno retired from the Pittsburgh police in 2018, he intended to move to Florida.
But Moreno, 51, of Brighton Heights, said he had ideas about how the city could be improved. He looked for someone to share them with, someone who could run for office.
“I started seeing how drastically Pittsburgh was changing in policy and demographics and I didn’t like it,” Moreno said.
Eventually, friends encouraged Moreno to run himself.
A Democrat, Moreno was the first person to announce his candidacy for mayor. He did so in September 2019, prompting incumbent Mayor Bill Peduto to affirm he would seek a third term.
Peduto formally announced his reelection bid last week and it was followed by Tuesday’s announcement that state Rep. Ed Gainey is also running in the Democratic primary.
“I have a dislike for politics,” Moreno said. But after 24 years on the force, working in what he called a “broken system,” he decided to run for mayor.
“I can’t leave Pittsburgh worse than when I got here,” said Moreno, who is originally from Whittier, Calif, the boyhood home of President Richard Nixon.
