Bruce A. Kraus (born April 13, 1954) is an American politician and businessman from

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He has served on the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts. The city operates under a mayor-council syst ...

since 2008, representing the 3rd district. He was the president of the council from 2014 to 2020.

Early life

Prior to becoming a Councilman, Kraus worked as an

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordin ...

consultant and also served as president of the South Side

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ...

. He was a member of Mayor Tom Murphy's Graffiti Task Force and Clean Pittsburgh Commission.

Political career

Kraus first ran for the seat vacated by Gene Ricciardi, who resigned to become a district judge, in the 2006 special election. Though he was endorsed by the ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...

'', his bid was unsuccessful. In 2007, he ran again against incumbent Jeff Koch and won the primary. Kraus, a Democrat, faced only a Libertarian opponent, Mark Rauterkus, who was running simultaneously for Pittsburgh City Controller. Kraus won and was sworn in on January 7, 2008, as part of a trio of new Council members (including Patrick Dowd and Ricky Burgess). He sought re-election in 2011, facing another Democratic primary against Jeff Koch, who had the support of Mayor

Luke Ravenstahl Luke Robert Ravenstahl (born February 6, 1980) is an American politician who served as the 59th Mayor of Pittsburgh from 2006 until 2014. A Democrat, he became the youngest mayor in Pittsburgh's history in September 2006 at the age of 26. He wa ...

. Kraus won 54% of the vote to Koch's 38%, with two other candidates each receiving 4%. No Republican or third-party candidate filed for the seat so Kraus ran unopposed in the general election in November 2011. As a city councilman, Kraus drafted the city's first

domestic partnership A domestic partnership is a legal relationship, usually between couples, who live together and share a common domestic life, but are not married (to each other or to anyone else). People in domestic partnerships receive benefits that guarantee ...

registry which passed in 2009. In 2014, he sponsored legislation to add gender identity and expression as an explicitly protected class with regard to housing, employment and public accommodation in the city. He has also been involved in trying to curb public drunkenness and overcrowding in South Side bars. In September 2009, City Council passed his ordinance banning public urination, creating the first such ban in Pittsburgh. He has authored ordinances increasing open-container fines and regulating the installation of sidewalk cafes. He introduced the Responsible Hospitality Institute’s ("RHI") Sociable City Plan, which has worked to develop a comprehensive strategy to regulate the nighttime economy on Pittsburgh's South Side and elsewhere in the metropolitan area.

Personal life

Kraus is the city’s first openly gay elected official. He lives in Pittsburgh's South Side Flats neighborhood.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kraus, Bruce Pittsburgh City Council members Gay politicians Living people 1954 births LGBT city councillors from the United States LGBT people from Pennsylvania Businesspeople from Pittsburgh 21st-century LGBT people