Pittsburgh's City Controller is pushing back after officials used a municipal procurement card to pay more than $600 to cater a memorial at Councilman Khari Mosley’s home following the death of his father. The controller’s office says that kind of catering charge falls outside typically reimbursable expenses and has urged the council to get legal and ethics guidance. The dust-up has revived broader questions about P‑Card rules at a time when the city is trying to stretch every budget dollar.
According to WPXI, an email obtained by 11 Investigates shows the charge was for more than $600 and covered wraps, chicken tenders, other food items, and a tip for a memorial service at Mosley’s house. The controller’s staff wrote that, while it is sympathetic to city workers' grief, "this charge falls outside the Controller’s generally accepted reimbursable expenses." The station reports that the council voted unanimously to approve the P‑Card purchase without discussion.
Council President Dan Lavelle told the station he authorized the purchase as a condolence acknowledgement and defended donating food and flowers for those linked to councilmembers, saying it "is nothing out of the ordinary," according to WPXI. Other council members told the station they recalled sending flowers in similar circumstances but did not remember catering a wake. WPXI also reported that Councilman Khari Mosley said he was unaware the council was sending food until it arrived and that he ordered and paid for food out of his own pocket.
Thaddeus Mosley was a self‑taught sculptor who drew late‑life national attention for his carved‑wood works, which helps explain why some city officials described his memorial as a public event. The Washington Post reported on his career and noted the family announced his death in a statement shared by his son, Councilman Khari Mosley. The Washington Post detailed Mosley’s rise from local craftsman to museum shows at the Carnegie and beyond.
P‑Card spending has been a recurring flashpoint at City Hall, and the latest controversy lands on ground that was already shaky. Earlier scrutiny included an internal probe and reporting about roughly $18,000 in procurement‑card payments to a contractor in 2024. Reporting by WTAE and other outlets raised policy concerns and prompted retraining and new safeguards. Local coverage about how the city has wrestled with P‑Card controls before has controller staffers now suggesting that clearer written guidance may be needed.
What Comes Next
The controller's office has urged the council to seek an advisory opinion from the Ethics Hearing Board and the Law Department, which handle city ethics and legal questions. The Ethics Hearing Board is established in the city code to hear complaints and order investigations, and the Law Department advises on legal exposure and remedies. City code outlines the board's powers, and the Law Department provides the city's legal counsel and processes for such reviews.
Legal And Ethics Review
If the council follows the controller's suggestion, an ethics advisory or Law Department opinion could clarify whether condolence acknowledgements may be paid with municipal procurement cards or should be handled in some other way. For now, the exchange highlights a gap many on council privately concede exists: limited written rules for condolence or memorial spending during a period of tight city finances, where even a $600 plate of chicken can turn into a political headache.
