Visit any Primanti Brothers and you’re sure to find murals featuring local celebrities gracing the walls.
The artist behind the illustrations is Dave Klug, a Democrat who’s running for Carnegie mayor in the May 20 primary. He’s hoping to succeed two-term mayor Stacie Riley, who’s not running for re-election.
Klug’s award-winning illustrations have appeared in publications like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and Time. In addition to Primanti’s murals, he also created murals and artwork for clients like Mylan Corporation, CNN, NBC, Highmark and the Carnegie museums.
You can add businessman and Chatham University professor to Klug’s resume. He also does courtroom drawings. He likes to say he’s freelanced from Sesame Street to Wall Street and all avenues in between.
Klug is also a drummer with several local bands and runs Klugworld with his wife, Pat. Klugworld’s sympathy cards for animal lovers have won several national awards.
When he and Pat moved to Carnegie six years ago, they turned the former rectory for St. Joseph German Catholic into their home and Double Dog Studios art gallery. A sculpture garden now graces the lot where the church once stood.
“Because of my investments in Carnegie, I am deeply connected to the community and know what people care about.
Just as I’ve developed my property to reflect the strength of Carnegie while empowering individuals, businesses and neighborhood groups of all backgrounds, I know I can do the same for the entirety of Carnegie,” he said.
Responsible for establishing Carnegie’s initial art walk a few years ago, Klug is also a fan of developing a more robust environment for Carnegie’s creative community. “I think I could bring a cool factor to Carnegie,” he said. “Bringing my experience and my dealings with people and my business and personal artistic connections, I think I would be a great ambassador that Carnegie needs to spread the word to a wide audience,” he said.
Klug believes the borough’s potential is being underutilized. He would like to see more home ownership, improved street and pedestrian safety, and infrastructure advancements, particularly on Main Street, as ways to bring people back to Carnegie.
“It’s a shortcut kind of town. A lot of traffic comes through here and nobody stops,” he said.
He cites his life experience and decades of business experience as reasons why he’s ready to take on the challenge of being the mayor of Carnegie.
“I know I can make a difference.”
Editor’s note: The last day to register to vote in the primary is May 5. The last day to request a mail-in ballot is May 13. Check your voter registration status with the Department of State.
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