Pittsburgh City Council held a public hearing Oct. 2 on Bill 19-71, a resolution that would name Room 902 in the City-County Building the John R. Cibbet Conference Room. Testimony in support came from pension fund staff, former city employees and residents who said John devoted decades to city service and to protecting municipal pensions. The council did not vote at the hearing and instructed staff to place the bill on the next standing committee agenda.

The measure, read into the record at the start of the hearing by meeting staff, cites Chapter 173 of the Pittsburgh City Code as the authority for naming rooms in the building. Gino Palmisina, executive director of the City of Pittsburgh Municipal Pension Fund, told the council that John served ‘‘more than four decades’’ with the city and represented employees on the municipal pension board until his death in February 2024. "Renaming it in his honor is a fitting and meaningful tribute," Palmisina said.

Supporters described John as a constant presence at City-County Building operations and at pension board meetings. Catherine Crocey, a South Side resident who said she began working for the city in 1993, said John consistently grounded debates about pension assets by emphasizing that "this is about the modest retirement savings, the pension of the hardworking men and women of the city of Pittsburgh." She added, "We deserve a dignified retirement. We deserve a pension." Crocey closed her remarks saying, "And we love you, John."

Former municipal pension board member Bill Urbanek, calling John "dedicated as you can get," recalled working with him to require 48 hours' notice before items were added to pension board agendas — a procedural change Urbanek said John championed to keep meetings focused. Scott Konka, who said he first met John when both worked for city operations, told the council that John "treated this building as if it was his own building" and noted John's repeated election as the employee representative to the municipal pension board.

Speakers also recounted specific examples of John's oversight of the fund. Konka and others said John pursued suspected pension fraud that involved roughly $100,000 in overpayments to a claimant; according to testimony, the case was investigated and the claimant was convicted. Several speakers expressed regret that John did not live to take his own retirement benefits.

No councilmember motions or votes were recorded at the hearing. The clerk said the item would be placed on the next standing committee agenda for further consideration. The public hearing then was adjourned.

The bill as read would authorize the naming under Chapter 173 of the Pittsburgh City Code; no effective date or committee referral number was recorded during the hearing.