PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh independent mayoral candidate Franco Dok Harris held a press conference Friday to dispel allegations that he is not a city resident.
Harris provided apartment leases documenting that he's lived in the city long enough to run for mayor.
Mayoral candidates must be a city resident for at least three years in order to run for office.
The son of Steelers legend Franco Harris laughed off the rumors, calling the flap about his residency an attempt to rattle him.
"Unfortunately, more disturbing was the Cleveland birth certificate saying that I was actually born in Cleveland and my father is Jim Brown -- a very frustrating thing to hear yesterday on the rumor mill," said Harris.
Harris is a University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University graduate student.
He lived in Pittsburgh but voted in Sewickley during that time.
State laws permits students to use their parents' voting address.
Harris faces incumbent Democrat Luke Ravenstahl and independent candidate Kevin Acklin in the race for the mayor's seat.
"Are you comfortable with where Pittsburgh is headed? Do you feel Pittsburgh is on the right track? I am a firm believer that the majority of Pittsburghers will answer 'yes' to that question when you look at and consider what we've done in three years," said Ravenstahl.
Acklin has encouraged Pittsburghers to vote for change by appointing him mayor.
"What I've seen thus far is a mayor that offers rhetoric without any kind of hard work and results -- that would stop on day one of my administration. You'd see me out there in the neighborhoods. I'd be out there addressing the problems facing this city," said Acklin.
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