Diana Ayala is an American politician, serving as a member and the deputy speaker of the New York City Council. Ayala represents the 8th district, succeeding former Council Speaker

Melissa Mark-Viverito Melissa Mark-Viverito (born April 1, 1969) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician and former speaker of the New York City Council from 2014 to 2017, as well as councilmember for the New York City's 8th City Council ...

in 2017. The district includes

Concourse A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space. The term is not limited to places where there are literally pathways or roadways or tr ...

, East Harlem, Highbridge, Longwood,

Mott Haven Mott Haven is an American primarily residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East 149th Street to the north, the Bruckner ...

, Port Morris, and Randall's Island. She is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life and education

Born in

Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, she and her family moved to New York City when she was a child. They lived in

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

after living in shelters. She received an associate degree in Human Services from Bronx Community College.

Career

Ayala worked as a Senior Center Director in East Harlem for seven years. She then served as Constituent Services Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for her predecessor,

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New York City Council

Ayala ran against three other candidates in the Democratic primary for the open 8th city council district. Ayala had the support of

, the term-limited incumbent and Speaker. Ayala's main primary opponent was Robert J. Rodriguez, an assemblyman. Ayala won the primary narrowly with 43.5% of the vote (4,012 votes) to Rodriguez's 42.23% (3,895 votes). In the general election, Ayala won 91.07% of the vote (13,617 votes), while her Republican opponent
Daby Carreras
won 5.26% (787 votes) and her Conservative opponent, Linda Ortiz, won 3.30% of the vote (494 votes).

Personal life

Ayala and her long-time partner live in East Harlem. She has four children and three grandchildren.

References

External links

Councilwoman Diana Ayala (official site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayala, Diana New York (state) Democrats Living people Women New York City Council members 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Hispanic and Latino American women in politics People from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico People from East Harlem New York City Council members Hispanic and Latino American New York City Council members Bronx Community College alumni 1973 births