Draft:Rachael Heisler

Rachael Heisler (born August 19, 1984) serves as the Controller of the City of Pittsburgh. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected on November 7, 2023, becoming the first woman and the youngest person ever elected to this city-wide position.

Heisler was sworn into office on January 8, 2024. She previously served as Deputy Controller under her predecessor, Michael Lamb, from 2021 through 2023.

Early life and education

Heisler was born August 19, 1984 in Mechanicsburg, PA. She graduated from Cumberland Valley High School in 2003.

Heisler studied political science and sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2007. She received a master's degree in Public Administration from Penn State University.

Career

Heisler began her career in politics working on Senator Bob Casey's first campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2006. She worked as the Finance Director for U.S. Representative Jason Altmire's campaign from 2007 to 2012, and as Communications Director in Altmire's congressional office from 2012 to 2013. From 2013 to 2021, Heisler worked as a senior advisor managing external affairs at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonprofit public policy organization that advocates for federal budget and fiscal issues.

In 2021, Heisler became the Deputy Controller of the City of Pittsburgh. In 2023, after then-Controller Michael Lamb declined to seek reelection, Heisler declared her candidacy to succeed him. She won the Democratic nomination on May 16, 2023, and was elected Controller on November 7, 2023.

Heisler was sworn in on January 8, 2024, becoming the first woman to serve as Controller. She is one of only two independently elected city-wide officials, along with the mayor, leading an office that is responsible for oversight of City finances. The Controller's office conducts audits of City departments and expenditures and issues reports highlighting any instances of fraud, waste or abuse of tax dollars and making recommendations to improve operations and efficiency. The Controller's office also reviews City contracts and regularly reports to the citizens, the mayor and City Council about the state of the city's finances.

In March 2024, Heisler sent a letter to Mayor Ed Gainey and Pittsburgh City Council raising concerns about the City's finances and urging Council to reopen the budget process for 2024, saying that the City should not rely on nearly $10 million in revenue that had been included in the budget. Heisler noted that a recent court decision prevented the city from collecting the Facility Usage Fee, while the budget anticipated $4.36 million in revenue from that fee. Heisler also wrote that the City should expect a reduction in real estate tax revenue of as much as $5.32 million after recent reassessments of several downtown properties. In response, Gainey created a joint task force to assess the city’s finances.

On May 1, 2024, Heisler released the City of Pittsburgh’s 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. In presenting the report, Heisler again raised concerns about the city’s spending outpacing revenue, and warned of possible deficits in the years ahead.

City Purchasing Card Investigation

In May 2024, Heisler wrote to City Council members alerting them to questionable payments made using city purchasing cards. Heisler reported that her office discovered that the city Parks and Recreation Department had used purchasing cards to pay more than $18,000 via PayPal to Mario Ashkar for services related to farmers’ markets. The information came to light after Ashkar was charged with ethnic intimidation, theft, criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct in connection with a incident of vandalism at the home of a Jewish resident of Pittsburgh. Heisler reported to Council that the payments raised several questions about the possible improper use of purchasing cards, including the fact that the payments appeared to be for professional services, which Heisler said was “explicitly forbidden” in the city’s purchasing card policy. Heisler wrote that her office had many serious questions about the nature of Ashkar’s work, the circumstances of the payments and the purchase card system. Heisler urged Council to stop a final payment of $1,200 to Ashkar that was scheduled to be approved the following week while her office investigated the incident.

The mayor’s office later acknowledged that the payments violated the city’s purchasing card policy and said the employees involved would be disciplined. Heisler requested that the administration turn over employment records and internal communications related to the payments and Ashkar’s work for the city to assist with her investigation. Heisler also asked for any documents related to why Ashkar was paid via PayPal instead of by check. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget told Heisler during a City Council meeting that the administration was compiling the information she had requested for her investigation. However, the mayor’s office later announced that it would not comply with Heisler’s request, and would instead refer the matter to the city’s Office of Municipal Investigations. Heisler criticized the decision not to cooperate with her inquiry, and said she would continue to pursue relevant materials through “alternate means” and would provide Council with initial recommendations to improve the purchasing card system.

On May 29, 2024, Heisler wrote to Council regarding the $1,200 payment that they had held pending her investigation. Heisler noted that the payment to Bank of America could not be held indefinitely, and that without complete documentation provided to assist her investigation, her office did not have evidence to demonstrate that the payment was fraudulent as defined by the bank. Therefore, she recommended that Council approve the payment to remedy the city’s obligation to Bank of America. Heisler reported that her office was initiating a fiscal audit of the Parks and Recreation Department’s use of purchasing cards for professional services. She also provided Council with a summary of her office’s initial findings, and reiterated findings and recommendations from the office’s 2019 audit related to preventing fraud, waste and abuse in the purchasing card system.

Electoral History

Heisler announced her candidacy for City Controller on December 7, 2022. During the campaign, Heisler was endorsed by the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, and several individual unions including the Pittsburgh Fire Fighters IAFF Local 1 and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.

Pittsburgh City Controller Primary Election, 2023

Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Rachael Heisler	22,367	48.79%
Democratic	Mark V. DePasquale	12,213	26.64%
Democratic	Tracy Royston	11,132	24.28%
	Write-in	127	0.28%

Pittsburgh City Controller General Election, 2023

Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Rachael Heisler	66,546	97.44%
	Write-in	1,746	2.56%

Personal life

Heisler lives in the Central Northside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Heisler serves on the board of the Northside Food Pantry Advisers, the Allegheny YMCA, Café Momentum PGH, and Pittsburgh’s Jewish Family and Community Services, and is a Pennsylvania representative of the United States Navy Community Ambassador Program. She was a 2022-2023 Wechsler Fellow with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Heisler also serves as the Chair of Pittsburgh’s 22nd Ward Democratic Committee.