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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
In his initial run for public office, Doug Shields was elected to represent City Council District 5 and was sworn in on January 5, 2004. He immediately served as Finance Chair for two years and was then elected to the Council Presidency. After winning reelection, his colleagues unanimously supported him for a second term as Council President beginning in January 2008.
Having served as Chief of Staff for 11 years to the late Mayor Bob O’Connor during O’Connor’s tenure on City Council, Shields is a city council veteran in his knowledge of issues and procedures. His colleagues, as well as representatives of city-wide organizations and non-profits, often look to Doug for advice and counsel. Prior to joining O’Connor’s staff, Doug worked for two prestigious city law firms as a senior litigation paralegal, specializing in environmental litigation and regulatory matters, as well as complex corporate/commercial litigation.
As Chairman of Council’s 2000 Reapportionment Committee, Doug skillfully guided the complex task of determining boundaries for the City’s nine council districts. The end result was a fair and well drawn map which was unanimously supported by all Council Members. Unlike the 1990 reapportionment process, City Council witnessed no negative publicity, lawsuits, or rancor among its members or the community at large.
Since ascending to the Council Presidency in September 2006, Shields has assumed an expanded leadership role throughout the city, including reorganizing Council’s Standing Committees and negotiating an enhanced role for Council in the budget process. He has often taken the lead in assuring that proper process has been followed in all matters that must by law come before City Council for a vote. Shields conceived the successful Council Town Hall “Road Show” which brought Council members to each District for a comprehensive tour and interactive meeting with constituents.
The Council President has written and/or sponsored significant legislative initiatives, including: adopting new guidelines regarding Police Bureau policies on domestic violence; establishing a city-wide domestic partner registry; mandating an audit of gender and racial pay equity for all city employees; giving veterans and their families free passes for city pools; campaign finance reform; and creating the only continuing finance stream for the Pittsburgh Promise by including a donation option on all city tax forms. Under his leadership, City Council approved a “Will of Council” supporting CeaseFire PA’s proposal on reporting lost or stolen handguns. Shields also has been a strong public advocate for single payer health care, sensible gun control measures, anti sweat-shop initiatives, gay rights, gender and racial pay equity, and cooperative city/county collaboration.
Shields chaired and now sits on the Board of the Regional Development Funding Corporation, a $2 million+ non-profit revolving loan fund that serves small to mid-sized businesses in 17 Western Pennsylvania counties. He also served as Treasurer and Board Member of the Community Technical Assistance Center (CTAC) for eight years and is on the Boards of Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh Municipal Pension Fund, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Recovery Center and the First Tee of Pittsburgh. The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition selected the Council President as one of its 2006 Citizens of the Year to honor his many accomplishments.
A lifelong resident of the city of Pittsburgh, Doug and his wife, Briget, have lived in Squirrel Hill for more than 25 years. Their two children, Liza and Elliot, graduated from Allderdice and CAPA, respectively, and are pursuing careers in fashion and computer design.
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