Independent challenger Marlin Woods has dropped out of the race for Pittsburgh mayor.
Woods, a 48-year-old benefits consultant from East Liberty, said that he’s leaving the race regrettably because he does not have sufficient time to defend petition signatures that were challenged by a “few Democrats” last week. The law requires his campaign “to present each person we consider a fixable challenge at a hearing” scheduled for Monday.
“Unfortunately, this requirement is logistically impossible to achieve in such a short period of time,” Woods said in a statement. “As such, I have no other option to withdraw from this year’s race.”
Woods, whose company Benefits Plus helps employers choose benefit plans, thanked supporters across all 90 of the city’s neighborhoods.
“I can promise you have not heard the last from me,” Woods said. “Although I will not be on the ballot in November, I want you to know this does not affect my passion for the issues that are important to the deserving people of Pittsburgh.”
Woods had cited among his goals as revitalizing small businesses, improving health care options, providing more support for mental health and trauma and cultivating better paths to home ownership.
“I will continue to advance my positive message and respond to opportunities to provide leadership where and when appropriate in the next four years,” he said.
Woods announced his candidacy June 10. He had until Aug. 2 to file nomination papers that included at least 1,167 residents, which is equivalent to 2% of the highest vote cast in the last citywide election, per state election rules.
In the May primary, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto conceded defeat to state Rep. Ed Gainey, positioning Gainey to become the first Black mayor in the city’s history.
William Parker has said he is an independent candidate for mayor. He was going to run as a Democrat in the primary, but didn’t file nominating petitions.
Retired Pittsburgh police officer Tony Moreno, 52, of Brighton Heights, came in third in the Democratic primary — but also received 1,379 write-in Republican votes, certified election results show. Moreno’s GOP write-in total proved enough for him to appear on the general election ballot.
In late June, Moreno announced that he would run as a Republican in November’s mayoral election to give voters a choice. Moreno has acknowledged the challenge he faces as a GOP candidate in Pittsburgh, where a Republican hasn’t served as mayor since the 1930s.
RELATED: Ed Gainey defeats Bill Peduto as incumbent concedes in Pittsburgh mayoral primary
Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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August 16, 2021 at 05:38AM
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Marlin Woods drops out of Pittsburgh mayoral race a week after Democrats contest his nomination papers - TribLIVE
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