Applause erupted in the Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse as Bethany Hallam, a newly elected at-large representative on Allegheny Council, gaveled in the legislative body’s first session of the year Thursday.

The moment was nearly a year in the making: Hallam, a Democrat from Ross, upset Democratic party politics by beating 20-year council veteran John DeFazio, D-Shaler, in the May primary.

She ran on a progressive platform that put issues like criminal justice reform, transportation and the environment front and center. She became known for criticizing the status quo of county politics, but Hallam said she’s looking forward to working with her new colleagues as a member of council.

“It’s not about fighting with the county executive every step of the way,” Hallam said. “I know a lot of the media likes to portray it as a constant battle. But all it is, is that we are separate and independent. It doesn’t always have to be a fight. There’s going to be a lot of things we agree on, and there’s going to be a lot of things that we disagree on. So what’s important is that we as council members hold our ground and are independent from the executive branch.”

In a 10-5 vote, council selected Patrick Catena, D-Carnegie, over Paul Klein, D-Point Breeze, to serve as council’s new president.

Catena appointed Bob Macey, D-West Mifflin, to serve as vice president and Hallam to serve as his proxy on the Jail Oversight Board, which oversees management of the Allegheny County Jail.

Hallam was among three new council members to be sworn in Thursday, including Olivia “Liv” Bennett, D-Northview Heights, who replaced Denise Ranalli Russell, D-Brighton Heights, for the District 13 seat.

“I’m feeling like I’m glad this is over and we can get to work,” Bennett said following Thursday’s meeting and swearing in ceremony.

Passing legislation to establish a countywide independent police review board will be her main priority heading into the new session, she said.

Allegheny Council voted down a bill to establish a police review board in August.

Tom Duerr, D-Bethel Park, replaced Sue Means, R-Bethel Park, as the representative from District 5. He too will work to revive legislation that was introduced last year and said he plans to focus on passing a conversion therapy ban.

Council considered two such bills — one introduced by Democrats, another by Republicans — last year.

“I’m very excited to start,” Duerr said. “I appreciate everyone’s support.”

Incumbent council members Cindy Kirk, R-Wexford, representing District 2; John Palmiere, D-Pleasant Hills representing District 6; Nick Futules, D-Oakmont representing District 7; Paul Zavarella, D-Plum representing District 8; DeWitt Walton, D-Hill District representing District 10; Klein, representing District 11 and Sam Demarco III, R-North Fayette, who serves as the other representative at-large, were also sworn in for another term.

DeMarco, one of three Republicans serving on the 15-member council, said he’s confident in Catena’s leadership as president.

“He believes in inclusivity,” DeMarco, of North Fayette, said. “As the minority here on county council, it was important as Republicans, that we would have the opportunity to have our voices heard. Because we represent a significant number of people here in Allegheny County as well.”

DeMarco said he hopes to work on legislation that would continue to spur business investment in the county. That includes taking a closer look at federal “opportunity zones,” areas that are designated for tax cuts for businesses in order to encourage investment in low-income communities, throughout Allegheny County.

Catena said he’ll be taking a “hands-on approach” to working with all council to move legislation forward.

“We have younger members, we have older members, we have everyone in between,” Catena said. “And we have Democrats and Republicans obviously. 98% of the time we can come to an agreement on what is best for Allegheny County. And I believe, even with this new council, that will be no different.”

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