jojo burgess
Jojo Burgess, and long-time steelworker, has announced his candidacy for mayor of the city of Washington.
Burgess, 52, made the announcement Thursday night at Friendship Baptist Church on Walnut Street.
It’s already been quite a year for Burgess as he was invited to sit with First lady Jill Biden at the State of the Union address.
“Since all of that happened, a lot of people have been pulling at me politically,” Burgess said. “I picked that because I don’t want anything that’s nationally looked at. That’s not me. i like to stay in my own back yard and do things. I’m not a politician. I’ve worked in politics because I’m part of the committee, but I’m not a politician.”
Burgess is a veteran political and union activist. A member of the United Steelworkers for two decades, he works at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works facility, is the second vice chair of the Washington County Democratic Committee and is a member of the board of the Washington branch of the NAACP.
Burgess, a graduate of Trinity High school, was born and raised in Washington and served in the military from 1988-95.
Burgess, a Democrat, said he had been asked about a possible run for a state or national office but wasn’t interested. Burgess said he did consider a run for county commissioner, but settled on eyeing the mayor’s chair.
He also was quick to say throwing his hat in the ring for the mayoral race in 2023 is not an indictment of the current mayor, Scott Putnam.
“It’s not an indication of what the current mayor is doing or to say that he’s doing a bad job,” Burgess said. “I’ve got this political capital and that’s where I want to use it. This is what I’m driven to do ”
He promised a positive campaign that doesn’t trash his opponents.
“If you run a campaign and you talk about others’ failures and shortcomings and not what you bring to the table, you bring nothing to the table, therefore you have nothing of substance for people to vote for you,” he said.
Burgess feels he has a lot to offer to the position.
“I’m going to bring my 22 years of union experience at various levels in helping to solve problems for people and managing people,” he said. “I bring a fresh face to the scene that has a different way of getting things accomplished. I don’t look for making a name for myself. I do things for people.”
He cited his many years as a member and leader of United Steelworkers as beneficial in what would make him a good mayor.
“I have extensive union experience in organizing, building power,” Burgess said. “You name it, I’ve done it with this union. It’s taught me a lot about how to give back to people and how to do for people.”
“I see myself as a leader, as someone who can bring people together to get things done, that can accomplish different things and have it work out for the better for everyone, not just for myself.”
I’m just trying to get us back to where us in the middle make decisions instead of letting the progressives and the radicals in each party take over and we get nothing done.
Burgess said he’s making the announcement at this early stage so he can get his committee together and to start raising money to fund the campaign.