Timothy McNulty | May 27, 2009
The spokesman for the Kevin Acklin mayoral campaign will be . . . former WPXI-TV reporter Andy Gastmeyer.
Gastmeyer worked for Channel 11 for almost 25 years and was the station's lead reporter on Grant Street. You can find out more about him on his blog, Beyond A Minute-Fifteen.
Here's the statement from Acklin, a former Republican who is running as an independent against Luke Ravenstahl in November:
PITTSBURGH - Independent Mayoral Candidate Kevin Acklin
announced today that veteran news reporter Andy Gastmeyer will join his mayoral
campaign and serve in the position of Press Secretary.
"I'm honored that someone of Andy's impeccable
reputation and journalistic integrity has agreed to join our campaign team. Andy
has always been committed to making our city a better place, and I'm grateful
that he's joining our effort," Acklin said.
"Kevin Acklin has what it takes to win this race and be
a tremendous mayor for the city of Pittsburgh. I've covered Pittsburgh politics
for many years, and I've seen first-hand how Grant Street runs. I know we can do
much better. So I look forward to this new challenge, to working with many of my
former colleagues in a new capacity, and to bringing Pittsburgh the kind of
leadership it deserves," said Gastmeyer.
PS, there is precedent for TV reporters getting into politics: Former WTAE-TV reporter Meghan Jones Rolla, an attorney, was spokeswoman for Republican candidate Mark DeSantis in 2007 and is currently representing the NRA in its lawsuit against the city.
Posted
May 27 2009, 12:39 PM
by
Timothy McNulty