D.C. Councilman David Catania

David A. Catania (born January 16, 1968) is a politician from Washington, D.C. He is currently a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, where he serves as an independent, elected at-large (i.e., not from any specific ward or district of the city).

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Catania is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Georgetown University Law Center. He was elected to the Council as a Republican in a 1997 special election and was elected to full terms in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Catania was the first openly gay member of the D.C. Council and one of a small number of openly gay Republican office-holders. This led to a conflict within his party when President George W. Bush spoke in favor of an amendment to the United States Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Catania opposed the amendment and became a vocal opponent of Bush's 2004 reelection. In response, the District of Columbia Republican Committee de-certified him as a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention. In late September 2004, Catania left the party and became an independent, citing his displeasure with its direction on urban and social issues. He was re-elected in 2006 as an independent.

He currently is the chairperson of the Council's Committee on Health and is a member of the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, and the Committee on Finance and Revenue.

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