Kayla Portis Becomes Sharpsburg, PA’s First Black mayor

SHARPSBURG MAYOR KAYLA PORTIS (PHOTO BY NANCI GOLDBERG)

The U.S. Census says there are about 180 Black people who currently live in Sharpsburg, PA, or 5.6 per­cent of the borough’s pop­ulation.

But don’t let the small percentage fool you—in the past eight months, African Americans have been making historic moves in Sharpsburg politics.

Kayla Portis, 39, a Sharpsburg Borough council member since 2021, made history on July 11 by being appoint­ed Sharpsburg’s first Black mayor. And follow­ing an open interview pro­cess with Portis and other candidates on that July 11 evening by council members, guess who official­ly nominated Portis for mayor? Corey Ochai, who made history in January 2024 by becoming the town’s first Black male council member.

After Councilman Ochai nominated Portis, Sharps­burg Councilwoman Sar­ah Ishman seconded the nomination. A vote came thereafter, and the re­maining council members voted Portis into office. Applause was then heard throughout the room, some 40 people in atten­dance, and Portis, wearing a long, black and white dress, was sworn into of­fice by District Judge Mat­thew V. Rudzki.

“I felt like I was ready,” Portis told the New Pitts­burgh Courier in an exclu­sive interview, Aug. 1. “I’ve been here most of my life, and I was ready to pro­mote more change.”

The Courier previously reported on Portis’ histor­ic feat when she became Sharpsburg’s first Black member of council when she was appointed in Feb­ruary 2021. She then ran for the council seat and won in November 2021. Her four-year term began in January 2022, but now she’s added “mayor” to her duties, the leader of this northeast of Pittsburgh borough of 3,200 resi­dents, many of whom have known Portis a long time.

Portis, as the Courier reported, is a fourth-gen­eration Sharpsburg resi­dent. She’s told the stories of her late grandparents, Charles and Barbara Smith, who experienced discrimination as they raised their own children in Sharpsburg. Decades ago, Charles Smith want­ed to become commander of the local VFW (Veter­ans of Foreign Wars) in Sharpsburg (Post 709), “but was told that he should go to a colored post,” Portis recalled. She said her grandfather re­plied: “Why should I go to a colored post? I live here.”

SHARPSBURG MAYOR KAYLA PORTIS (PHOTO BY NANCI GOLDBERG)

Charles Smith eventual­ly became the first Black commander of the VFW Post 709. Barbara Smith, who graduated from the old Sharpsburg High School in 1948, main­tained an active presence in the Sharpsburg com­munity up until her death in 2019. Her mural is em­blazoned on the outside of the Linden Gym, on Clay Street, in Sharpsburg.

Portis graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School in 2003, and Clari­on University in 2008. She has two sons—Caleb, 14, and Charles, 12.

Quiet as its kept, for all the community work Por­tis has done over the years, she told the Courier she never thought she would be a person involved in government, or an elected capacity. “I just wanted to implement change, which I have, which is very excit­ing for me,” Portis said.

Since Portis has become mayor, she said she’s been extremely busy, taking phone calls, texts and emails from residents about this and about that. She recently visited both senior “high rises” in Sharpsburg, the Granada Apartments and Sharps­burg Towers, and wants to have a senior liaison in each building report to her the issues and concerns that residents have. Some seniors have already told Portis their main concern is safety. Making sure there’s additional surveil­lance cameras and that police are rolling through the area more often.

Portis also wants to im­prove the communication between the mayor’s office and young people. She said during the July 25 public meeting, a 10-year-old girl discussed the possibili­ty of the borough adding some exercise equipment at the local parks.

The increased commu­nication is “definitely welcomed,” Portis said. “I feel like you can’t really have any type of effective system without commu­nication. Communication is key to just about every­thing.”

Portis is filling the re­mainder of the term of Brittany Reno, who re­portedly resigned for per­sonal and family reasons. In 2025, Portis plans to run for mayor, with the hopes of winning and serving a full four-year term beginning in Janu­ary 2026.

“My grandparents, they would be so proud, I know both of them are looking down on me for sure,” Por­tis said.

With all she’s done in the borough, Portis being appointed mayor wasn’t a slam dunk. Councilmem­bers put Portis, Howard Strain, Christopher Cav­lovich and Joseph Sim­bari (who participated via Zoom) through the ringer with questions pertaining to how they would per­form as mayor.

And Portis wasn’t the first person to be nominat­ed for mayor by a member of council. But eventu­ally, Councilman Ochai had his say. “I would like to nominate Kayla Portis for mayor. I think we have some strong candidates, but in this position I think it takes some experience,” Ochai said. “I have confir­mation in your actions to see what you’re willing to sacrifice…Kayla, I do believe you are the right person for the position. I don’t think there’s anyone better.”