Former Pittsburgh mayor dead at 80

MOUNT LEBANON, Pa., April 21 (UPI) -- Former Pittsburgh Mayor Peter Flaherty died this week at the age of 80.

The New York Times reports that family members say the cause of death was cancer.

A native of Pittsburgh, Flaherty got involved in politics after receiving a law degree from Notre Dame. He was elected to the City Council in 1965 and mayor four years later.

During his tenure as mayor, Flaherty was known as a progressive on social issues, while he was also a fiscal conservative who cut taxes and the city payroll. He took the slogan "Nobody's Boy" to demonstrate independence from the city's Democratic machine, although he was a member of the party.

Flaherty resigned in 1977 to become a deputy attorney general in President Jimmy Carter's administration, leaving within months because he disliked Washington.

He was the Democratic candidate for governor of Pennsylvania in 1978, losing to Dick Thornburgh, and twice for U.S. Senate.