Cheering Catania

The entrance of 2010 marks another election year for the District, and a number of offices will be up for grabs. D.C. residents will be electing a mayor, seven members to the D.C. Council, a delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives and scores of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners. In the sea of campaign ads and endorsements that will soon flood local and national media, one District-based candidate stands out: D.C. Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) (SFS ’90, LAW ’93).

If the fact that Catania is a two-time Georgetown graduate doesn’t convince you to support him, consider his impressive achievements as a councilmember. He has spent the past year crusading for equal rights for the LBGTQ community. Last May, he spearheaded the efforts to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. In October, Catania introduced the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act. The bill — which legalizes same-sex marriage in the District — passed in December and will take effect next month. At a time when the national mood toward same-sex marriage is uncertain, Catania has remained firm in his position and succeeded where other efforts have failed.

Catania’s success is not limited to his efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. He is the current chairperson of the D.C. Council Committee on Health. In this capacity, he has marshaled initiatives such as the SafeRx Act — a bill designed to protect consumers by making drug marketing practices more transparent — and increased access to health insurance for the poor with the Healthy DC program. Moreover, he has continually worked to tackle the D.C. HIV/AIDS epidemic and improve the District’s public school system.

Catania has achieved victory after victory for D.C. residents and proven his ability to be a leader of this city. So if you are registered to vote in the District — or if you are looking to keep your doorbell-ringing skills sharp by working on a campaign this year — consider supporting David Catania in his bid for re-election.

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