Angry crowd demands County Council president's resignation

A week before facing voters in a contested Democratic primary for a state House seat, Allegheny County Council President Patrick Catena is confronting mounting backlash from within his own party - including calls to step down - because of mailers his campaign sent out last week.

As Catena presided over a council meeting on Tuesday, he was confronted by attendees holding up signs demanding his resignation. The demonstrators filled nearly the entire front row of council chambers in response to Catena sending out the mailer criticizing his opponent for being supported by an "extreme left group" that advocates for transgender athletes.

The majority of the meeting was dominated by comments from attendees - many who said they previously supported Catena - criticizing him for using a political line of attack that's usually used by GOP candidates, but rarely by Democrats.

"As a friend of yours, for years, I am so disappointed and upset that you would use my community as a pawn for any political game," said Cory Roma, political director of the Young Democrats of Allegheny County. "I know you, Pat, and you're better than this."

Nora Doyle, a transgender woman who said she worked alongside Catena last year during a local election in his hometown of Carnegie, also rebuked the County Council president.

"This history with Mr. Catena is what makes his recent action so disappointing and hurtful," Doyle, 25, of Highland Park said.

Jessie Ulibarri, a former member of the Colorado State Senate now living in South Fayette, said his teenage daughter is a member of an LGBTQ advocacy group at her school and he considered Catena's mailer an attack on her and her friends.

"She's one of the kids that you're talking about in your mailer," Ulibarri said. "Her friends come to my house for safety because they're bullied at school or their parents don't accept them."

Ulibarri called on council members to remove Catena as president.

"Each of you has to make a decision," he said. "If he does not resign, you are all the people who empowered him as president."

Catena's colleague on council, DeWitt Walton, called for a vote to trigger an election for a new president - an action that council is unable to take until at least the next meeting in two weeks because state law requires that the public be notified about decisions that lawmakers might make.

After the meeting, Catena was surrounded by critics and reporters, and he told them that he would not be stepping down from his seat on County Council, nor would he abandon his campaign to fill the state House seat of fellow Democrat Anita Kulik, who is not seeking re-election.

Catena also said he read and reviewed the mailers before they were sent out, and he apologized.

"I approved it," he said. "It was sent on behalf of my campaign. Ultimately, as a leader, I have to take responsibility for the actions, and I do.

"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."

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 11:16 PM.