Diana Reyna (born November 23, 1973) is an American politician who served as Deputy Borough President for

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and Member of the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...

from the 34th District, which includes Williamsburg and

Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Par ...

as well as Ridgewood in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. Reyna ran for Lieutenant Governor of New York in the 2022 election as

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Thomas Suozzi Thomas Richard Suozzi (; born August 31, 1962) is an American politician, attorney and accountant who served as the U.S. Representative for from 2017 to 2023. His district included part of the North Shore of Long Island. A member of the Democ ...

's running mate.

Early life and education

Reyna was born and raised in New York City. She attended the now-closed Our Savior School (the former parochial school of Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church) in Williamsburg, Saint Joseph High School in

downtown Brooklyn Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and ...

, and

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pac ...

Pleasantville, New York Pleasantville is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located 30 miles north of Manhattan. The village population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. Pleasantville is home to the secondary camp ...

Political career

Reyna was a member of the

since from 2002 to 2013. She was the first

Dominican American Dominican Americans ( es, domínico-americanos, ) are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Dominican Republic. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Dominican descent or to someone who has migrated to the United Stat ...

woman elected to public office in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

. Previously, Reyna was the chief of staff to New York State Assembly Member and Chairman of the Kings County (Brooklyn) Democratic Party,

Vito Lopez Vito Joseph Lopez (June 5, 1941 – November 9, 2015) was an American politician from New York. He was a member of the New York State Assembly, and chairman of the Democratic Party of Kings County. Personal life Vito Lopez was born on June 5, ...

. The two have since had a very public falling-out culminating in Lopez running an unsuccessful candidate, Maritza Davila, against Reyna in the 2009 Primary and general election. Reyna was prevented by term limits from running for re-election to the City Council in 2013; Lopez attempted to succeed her, but lost in the primary to

Antonio Reynoso Antonio Reynoso (born May 9, 1983) is an American politician and community organizer currently serving as Borough president of Brooklyn since 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and was elected Brooklyn borough president in the 2021 e ...

. Reyna worked in the office of the Brooklyn Borough President

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and retired police captain serving as the 110th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York C ...

as a deputy Borough President. Reyna announced that she will run for lieutenant governor of New York on a ticket with candidate for governor

. Her opponents on primary day are

Ana Maria Archila Ana María Archila (born 1978/1979) is an immigrant rights, worker justice, LGBTQ rights, and women's rights advocate who ran for Lieutenant Governor of New York. She was formerly the co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy ( ...

and

Antonio Delgado Antonio Ramon Delgado (born January 28, 1977) is an American attorney and politician serving as the lieutenant governor of New York since 2022. He previously served as the U.S. representative from New York's 19th congressional district. He is ...

Legislative and councilmanic focus and positions

As a council member Reyna concentrated her efforts in funding youth programs and

family literacy Family literacy is a method of education. Relatively new, family literacy is being put into practice in the United States, Canada, and South Africa. Philosophy The roots of family literacy as an educational method come from the belief that “the ...

. as well as fighting crime and reducing gang violence in her council district. In 2007, the New York City Council passed a bill Council Member Reyna had sponsored, which amended the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to increasing fines for illegal conversions from industrial to residential uses. The bill was later signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg. Council Member Reyna voted in favor of the extension of term limits to allow for a third term for the Mayor and City Council. Council Member Reyna voted against a modified version of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan.

Under both the commission's recommendations and the governor's bill, the base fee for cars entering the area would be $8. Trucks would pay $21. But many drivers would end up paying far less since the system subtracts tolls used to enter Manhattan -- as long as the driver used
E-ZPass E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, and Southern United States. The E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) consists of member agencie ...
to cross one of the rivers. So while someone using the toll-free Brooklyn Bridge would be charged an $8 congestion fee, a person who used the Queens Midtown Tunnel, which has a $4.50 toll, would pay that and a $3.50 congestion fee for a maximum charge of $8.

References

External links

Official NYC Council district that Diana Reyna used to occupyDistrict boundaries for 34th Council district
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyna, Diana 1974 births 21st-century American women American politicians of Dominican Republic descent Hispanic and Latino American city council members Hispanic and Latino American New York City Council members Living people New York (state) Democrats New York City Council members Politicians from Brooklyn Women New York City Council members