Jordan Botta

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Jordan Botta

Allegheny County Council District 13

Tenure

Present officeholder

Term ends

2028

Predecessor

David Bonaroti

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 16, 2023

Appointed

May 21, 2025

Education

High school

Central Catholic High School

Bachelor's

University of Pittsburgh, 2017

Graduate

American Public University, 2022

Personal

Birthplace

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Profession

Executive director

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Jordan Botta is a member of the Allegheny County Council in Pennsylvania, representing District 13. His current term ends on January 3, 2028.

Botta (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Pittsburgh City Council to represent District 7 in Pennsylvania. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 16, 2023.

Botta completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jordan Botta was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Central Catholic High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 and a graduate degree from American Public University in 2022. His career experience includes working as an executive director and as a geographic information scientist.

Elections

2023

See also: City elections in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2023)

General election

General election for Pittsburgh City Council District 7

Incumbent Deborah Gross defeated James Miller in the general election for Pittsburgh City Council District 7 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Deborah Gross (D)	79.5	9,033
	Submit photo	James Miller (Independent)	19.7	2,234
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	99

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,366
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Pittsburgh City Council District 7

Incumbent Deborah Gross defeated Jordan Botta in the Democratic primary for Pittsburgh City Council District 7 on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Deborah Gross	65.6	5,112
		Jordan Botta	34.1	2,661
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	25

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,798
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jordan Botta completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Botta's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a 5th generation Pittsburgher running for City Council to represent my friends and neighbors in our city's 7th District. Born and raised in District 7, I attended Central Catholic High School and the University of Pittsburgh. Although my background is in science and engineering, I've been involved in leadership roles with countless nonprofits and community organizations for the past 10 years. If elected I will be the youngest city council member at 32 years old, and only the second only LGBTQ+ councilperson ever elected.

My campaign is simple: we're bringing availability and accountability back to District 7. Affordable housing, clean public infrastricture, racial and gender equity, commonsense development, and of course- constituent services- will all be top priority for my administration. Together we're going to create a Pittsburgh that is more equitable, more accessible, and more progressive than ever before.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We're bringing accessiblility and accountability back to District 7
• We're investing in and fighting for our neighbors, not the special interests on Grant St.
• Housing is a human right, and we're going to make sure our residents can afford to live here.

Community Question Featured local question

How important is it to involve residents in the government’s decision-making process? What plans do you have regarding resident involvement in this process?

It is absolutely critical. For my office, we have a plan to have quarterly or monthly meetings with residents and community organizations in District 7 and I will be present for these meetings. We also have a plan to connect non-profits and community organizations together to form neighborhood coalitions so that we hear from residents directly. And our office has a plan called "District 7 24/7" which will be the most comprehensive constituent service network in the city.

Community Question Featured local question

What plans do you have regarding infrastructure?

Our focus is on green, responsible infrastructure. We are focusing on creating green energy infrastructure in District 7 and city-wide

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable housing, clean public infrastricture, racial and gender equity, commonsense development, constituent services, progressive policing, science and education, environmental protections, and public safety. We're fighting for the best quality of life for all of our residents, not just a select few.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

As a scientist, one of my major role models is the astronomer Carl Sagan. As a civic servant, my role model is Mr. Rogers, who is one of the best known public figures my native town of Pittsburgh. And as a politcial candidate, one of my role models is Bernie Sanders. All of these individuals have helped make the world a better place- Sagan for his love of teaching the public about science, Rogers for his love of people and showing the world how to practice patience and kindness, and Sanders for his activism in fighting for the working class like my family. I hope to have the enthusiasm of Sagan, the kindness and understanding of Rogers, and the conviction and integrity of Sanders.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 was one of the first major historical events that I remember vividly. I was 10 years old at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at age 16, working in a chinese restaurant. It was there that I began learning mandarin, one of the languages that I continue to learn and improve upon to this day.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I have several - on the non-fiction side it would probably be "How to Win Friends and Influence People." On the fiction side it would probably be "The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac, "The Master and Margarita," or "Farenheit 451."

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Anything by SZA to be honest.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have been endorsed by the Labors' Union of North America, but I am currently waiting on endorsements for Run for Something, Victory Fund, and 3.14 Action.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

See also

2023 Elections

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Candidate

Pittsburgh City Council District 7

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