PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The lights were on in Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s office Thursday night.

But if the mayor was in, he wasn’t about to speak to the gauntlet of cameras and reporters waiting outside his office.

It came following a day of speculation that the mayor is dropping out of his race for re-election.

“I am 95 percent that the mayor is probably not going to run,” Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman Jim Burn told KDKA. “That is my current analysis of what I see, what I hear and what I’ve been told.”

There was also the first public glimpse of Mayor Ravenstahl in days Thursday evening. He was seen shuffling between offices on his fifth floor suite in the City County Building.

One of his Democratic opponents, City Councilman Bill Peduto, dropped out of a previous race for mayor. He says he knows it’s a tough decision.

“It’s one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to do professionally,” said Peduto. “I know where he’s at if that’s what he’s thinking right now. It’s a difficult situation, and I think that he deserves a little bit of time.”

Speculation about Ravenstahl comes amid word that his mother is seriously ill. There’s also a lingering federal investigation of the police department that’s put the mayor on the defensive.

Peduto is giving Ravenstahl some breathing room.

“We may have differed on policy and sometimes even personal, but when you work with somebody for 10 years, you get to know that person,” Peduto said. “So, you know, my thoughts are with him, with his family, and hopefully things are okay.”

KDKA attempted to contact Ravenstahl’s other primary opponent, City Controller Michael Lamb, but he did not return those phone calls.

The primary is in May.

Meanwhile, there’s still no word on when we might hear from the mayor about his future.

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