The city is very urban and industrial. The downtown business district is vibrant, filled with dozens of shops and restaurants. It is a melting pot of ethnic delicacies reflective of the generation of immigrants that moved here at the turn of the 20th century.
Frye came back to live here after earning his bachelor’s degree at Gannon University and then a master’s degree in social work at the University of Pittsburgh. Frye said he and his wife briefly considered moving the family to suburban Cranberry Township, an affluent community close to Pittsburgh.
But he was drawn back, and the idea of entering politics someday was there, albeit far in the back of his mind.
“I didn’t even think about running (for mayor) until I was later in life, maybe in my 50s,” he said. “I had a good job, still aspiring to do more, maybe do some little entrepreneurial stuff and some grassroots work, continue to help local kids in education or to get off of probation, things of that nature through my job in social services. That was what I considered my way of giving back, until I decided to run.”
At some point, Frye saw no other option but to step up and try to find some of the solutions himself. “I read a lot about strong communities, strong towns. In the past, our city hasn’t been reshaped to be a strong town.” Turning the city into a strong town requires change. It also requires working with the City Council. “It’s contentious at times,” Frye said. “We’re working on that relationship, working on understanding each other’s roles.”
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