Allegheny County Council elects first female president after Catena fallout

Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis replaces Pat Catena, who stepped down Friday amid controversy.

By MEGAN TROTTER
TribLive

Allegheny County Council on Tuesday unanimously elected its first female president following controversy over her predecessor.

Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis replaces Pat Catena, who held the position of council president for about six years before stepping down Friday amid fallout from a controversial campaign mailer tied to his unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania’s 45th House District.

“Until today, this role has always been held by a man. That is not a criticism, it is simply the history, and today we are adding a new chapter to it. I am proud to accept this role as the first woman to serve as president of Allegheny County Council,” Naccarati-Chapkis said.

Naccarati-Chapkis, a Plum resident, has represented District 8 on council since 2021.

District 8 includes the boro ughs of Braddock, East McKeesport, East Pittsb urgh, North Braddock, Pitcairn, Plum, Rankin, Swissvale, Trafford, Turtle Creek, Wall and Wilmerding, as well as Monroeville and North Versailles.

She chairs the Government Reform and Future of Emergency Service Response committees and serves on the Budget and Finance, Executive, Health and Human Services, Parks, Public Safety and Sustainability and Green Initiatives committees.

Outside her council role, Naccarati-Chapkis serves as executive director of Women for a Healthy Environment, a nonprofit that educates communities about environmental health risks and advocates for policies aimed at reducing exposure to toxins, according to the organization’s website.

District 2 Councilwoman Suzanne Filiaggi, noted the historic nature of Naccarati- Chapkis’ selection while casting her vote.

“I am proud to be the first woman to cast my vote for the first female president of Allegheny County Council,” Filiaggi said.

Catena, who lost the Democratic primary to Brittany Bloam, faced mounting pressure from fellow council members over a campaign mailer that criticized Bloam for receiving support from a political action committee that advocates for transgender athletes.

Before Catena announced his resignation, seven of the council’s 15 members issued a joint statement saying they planned to remove him from the presidency and hold a new election for council leadership.

Catena remains on council, representing District 4.

“We were having a discussion at the end of last year about what the future looks like for County Council with then-President Catena running for the legislative seat, knowing that things could change,” Naccarati- Chapkis said. “And so we had some conversations saying, you know, perhaps we should be thinking about what the future could look like.”

Naccarati-Chapkis was the only council member nominated for the position.

Just before Tuesday’s meeting, Councilwoman Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling, District 1, who had declared her interest in the position with a social media post Friday, withdrew her candidacy for president just hours before the election.

“I also received assurances from my colleagues on issues important to me and the residents we serve, particularly around openness and professionalism, and I look forward to working together while holding leadership accountable to those commitments,” Madonna-Emmerling said in the post.