Motion to censure Allegheny County Councilman withdrawn

A motion to censure an Allegheny County councilman for words he directed at another councilman following a meeting last month led to more fighting Tuesday as tempers flared among members before the censure motion was withdrawn.

Councilman DeWitt Walton, angry over the motion made to censure Councilman Thomas Duerr, D-Bethel Park, repeatedly used expletives in addressing Council President Pat Catena, D-Carnegie, on Tuesday evening.

Catenda did not take any action against Walton, whose reaction followed Catena’s motion to censure Duerr for telling council Vice President John Palmiere, D-Pleasant Hills, “I always knew you were a (expletive) coward,” following the March 22 meeting.

Duerr’s comments followed a vote by council that evening to reject three board appointments made by county Executive Rich Fitzgerald — two to the Alcosan board and one to the Jail Oversight Board.

Catena said Duerr’s behavior was inappropriate and should not have been made in a public setting. The motion to censure Duerr, if passed, would have required Duerr to publicly apologize to Palmiere.

On Sunday, Duerr posted a statement to Twitter in which he said he’d reached out to Palmiere and that he should have been “more selective” with his words. Duerr also said that he would not apologize for the sentiment behind his comments and would “wear their censure like a badge of honor.”

Catena initially planned to move his censure motion to committee at Tuesday’s meeting. However, given the heated exchange, Duerr agreed to, instead, sit down with Catena and Palmiere.

“Since he agreed to do that, I moved to withdraw my motion,” Catena said on Wednesday. “Tom and I basically worked it out.”

Catena said the atmosphere at recent council meetings is unacceptable.

“We as council members need to hold ourselves to a higher standard. That obviously didn’t happen. It was disappointing, disturbing and demeaning,” he said.

Walton on Wednesday said that Catena’s motion to censure was improper since Duerr’s comments were not made in a public meeting.

“That was merely an attempt to embarrass and bully Councilman Duerr,” Walton said. “It is another example of how disingenuous council has become over the past two and a half years.”

Walton said he believed someone needed to step in on Duerr’s behalf, and when he tried to do so during the council meeting, Catena ignored him.

“When he attempted to ignore me, I was not going to tolerate it. I demand that we operate in a transparent manner. It was simply that — no more, no less,” Walton said.