Nearly half of the council signed a motion to remove Catena as council president.
Allegheny County Council President Patrick Catena is facing growing criticism after his state House campaign sent out a controversial mailer that claimed his opponent is supported by an “extreme left group” that advocates for transgender athletes.
Catena is running in the Democratic primary for the state House seat. He has served as council president since 2020.
Nearly half of the Allegheny County Council has signed on to a motion to remove Catena as council president. Catena apologized for the mailer, but refused to step down from his current position.
Early Wednesday, County Councilman Jordan Botta announced that he submitted a motion expressing no confidence in Catena because of the campaign mailer. The motion would remove Catena as president and trigger a vote to replace him. It would not remove him from County Council.
Six additional council members have since signed in support including Dan Gryzbek, Bethany Hallam, Paul Klein, Kathleen Madonna-Emmerlin, Amex Rose, and Lissa Geiger Shulman.
“Attacks on marginalized groups of people in service of one’s own political advancement are not acceptable. These actions undermine faith in County Council as a governing body, and its ability to represent and enact policy on behalf of every member of the communities that make up our County,” the members wrote in a statement.
“As the only LGBTQ member of County Council, I believe it is important to speak up when members of our community feel targeted or marginalized. This is ultimately about leadership, tone, and ensuring every resident of Allegheny County feels respected by their government,” Botta said.
After a contentious meeting on Tuesday, Catena refused to step down or abandon his state House race.
“I’m sorry I caused so much hurt and pain, and I take responsibility for those actions, and I need to do some soul-searching over the next two weeks,” Catena said.
The council members that signed on to Botta’s motion said in a statement that they would support the vote on his motion and hold a new election for council president at their next meeting on May 26.
“We had hoped that President Catena would have taken responsibility for himself and stepped down, but this has so far not happened. We will take action instead.”
