A new mayoral candidate intercepted Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's spotlight Monday.
On the morning that Ravenstahl introduced an 11-point plan to usher in Pittsburgh's "third renaissance," Franco "Dok" Harris Jr., son of legendary Steelers running back Franco Harris, announced he will run as an independent candidate in the November election, likely against Ravenstahl.
Harris, 29, lives in Shadyside and works in business development for his father's company, Super Bakery Inc. He is a graduate of Princeton University, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business.
"Luke came in under some very terrible circumstances. He had it tough," Harris said. "I respect the work he has done, but I think there's an opportunity to do better."
Ravenstahl, 29, was elevated from City Council president to mayor Sept. 1, 2006, when then-Mayor Bob O'Connor died of brain cancer.
Harris said he wants to focus on fostering small businesses in Pittsburgh and increasing the transparency of how city government awards contracts.
He wants to put an end to the "era of pay-for-play" politics.
Harris said his father is busy chairing the election committee for Common Pleas Judge Joseph K. Williams III, who was appointed last year by Gov. Ed Rendell to fill a vacancy on the bench.
Harris Sr., a staunch Democrat and supporter of President Obama's campaign, served as a Pennsylvania delegate in the Electoral College. He supports his son's run as an independent candidate, but he will not be a member of the campaign fundraising team, Harris Jr. said.
"That recognition will get me into the door, but it's up to me to show Pittsburghers through my actions and my platform why I should be their next mayor," Harris said.
Franklin & Marshall College professor G. Terry Madonna said name recognition could give him a small bump in the polls, but he said independent candidates seldom succeed in Pennsylvania politics.
"We don't have a single third-party candidate or independent candidate in the Legislature," Madonna said.
Mark DeSantis, a Republican who lost his bid to unseat Ravenstahl in 2007, said Harris' entrance into the race could siphon votes from Ravenstahl because Democrats unhappy with the mayor are more likely to identify with Harris' Democratic roots.
He said Harris' candidacy makes the mayor's race more inviting to potential Republican candidates.
Harris said he goes by "Dok" because it is the shortened form of his mother's maiden name, Dana Dokmanovich.
Ravenstahl declined to comment on Harris' candidacy. Instead, he stuck to announcing what he termed an 11-point "holistic approach" to improving Pittsburghers' quality of life.
"My job is not yet complete. That's why I want to continue to be your mayor," Ravenstahl told a small group of supporters as he submitted his nominating petitions.
Among the goals: solve the city's long-term debt problems; make government services more efficient -- eventually through consolidation of city and county governments; promote diversity in the city's work force; and use environmentally friendly technology where possible.
"My remarks are not meant to communicate that everything is good and as we would want to be done. Not hardly. There is so much work yet to be done," he said.
Two other candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor in the May 19 primary: City Councilman Patrick Dowd, and Carmen L. Robinson, a law clerk and former city police officer.
Dowd said Ravenstahl's goals sound appealing, but he questioned how and when the mayor will begin working to accomplish them.
Robinson said she supports Ravenstahl's ideas, but that she believes he is announcing them now simply to sway voters, not to improve the city.
"I just don't believe he's the one to carry them out," she said.
