'A Priceless Opportunity': Peduto Using Attention To Dispel Myths, Promote New Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto says he was outraged that President Trump used Pittsburgh in his speech about pulling out of the climate accord.
President Trump said: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."
But the mayor is using the moment to try to dispel a myth about our city.
"Steel town. That's all I ever heard," said Nicholas Strata when asked his impression of Pittsburgh growing up.
He and his wife are now visiting Pittsburgh from Columbus, Ohio, and their impression?
"I was just saying it looked nicer than Columbus' downtown. Yeah, it's really impressive," said Kayla Strata.
A similar story with Kevin Frifeldt, who's from Hawaii, and interning here for the summer.
"I was really surprised actually. It was really nice," said Frifeldt who also anticipated smoky skies.
- RELATED STORY: Pittsburgh Mayor Issues Executive Order In Response To Trump's Paris Climate Decision
Mayor Peduto has been making the rounds on cable news since Trump's comment, and part of what he's doing is educating people about the new Pittsburgh.
"It's a priceless opportunity to promote what Pittsburgh has become," said Mayor Peduto.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
National news stories are being posted explaining the Pittsburgh of today.
A headline from the New York Times reads: "A Revitalized Pittsburgh Suggests The President Used A Rusty Metaphor."
CNN's story has a headline of: "Pittsburgh Refuses To Return To Its Smoky Days."
"There's still that impression out there," said Peduto. "And, unfortunately, from a lot of what I've seen on Twitter, a lot of people in the country think that Pittsburgh is a depressed, backwards old steel town."
Of course, the mayor isn't just selling Pittsburgh. He's also using all the airtime to criticize the President.
Mayor Peduto also pointed out the city voted for Hillary Clinton. However, if you consider the entire Pittsburgh region, all the surrounding counties went for President Trump.
