Marjorie Velázquez (born August 11, 1981) is an

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politician from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. A

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, Velázquez served as a member of the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

representing the 13th district, which covers parts of the eastern

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. Velázquez was defeated for re-election by Kristy Marmorato in the 2023 election.

Early life

Velázquez was born in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

to Puerto Rican parents who had moved to New York City in the 1970s. She graduated from

St. Catharine Academy St. Catharine High School is an American all-girls', private, Roman Catholic high school located in the Pelham Gardens neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. History The Sister ...

and received her

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in finance and accounting from the

New York University Stern School of Business The Leonard N. Stern School of Business (also NYU Stern, Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the business school of New York University, a private research university based in New York City. Founded as the School of Commerce, Accounts ...

Political career

Pre-Council career

After working for several years in accounting and corporate finance, Velázquez suffered serious injuries after multiple accidents in 2012. She joined Bronx Community Board 10 and was elected as a Democratic District Leader for the 82nd Assembly district, a position she still holds.

2017 City Council campaign

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, Velázquez ran to succeed term-limited

James Vacca James Vacca is an American politician who served in the New York City Council from the New York City's 13th City Council district, 13th district from 2006 to 2017. He is a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat. The district includes Allerton ...

in the 13th district of the

. With support from Vacca and ''

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'', among others, Velázquez was seen as one of the race's frontrunners. Velázquez's main opponent in the Democratic primary was Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, who ran to Velázquez's right and spent over $700,000, a record for a City Council campaign. Velázquez lost the primary by a 38-34% margin, with three other candidates taking the remainder. Soon after, Velázquez indicated she would be back, saying, "Would I ever run again? Most definitely."

2021 City Council campaign

Velázquez announced in 2020 that she would seek a 2021 rematch with Gjonaj, citing the repeated scandals Gjonaj found himself combating during his first term. In February 2021, however, Gjonaj announced he would not seek re-election, saying that the political climate was "not favorable to a centrist ideology that my constituency, community and I embrace." Now running for an open seat, Velázquez would go on to win the five-way Democratic primary in June 2021. She won the subsequent November 2021 general election with a near-identical 56.3% of the vote and took office in January 2022.

City Council

In 2022, Velázquez protested against turning an unused building on Jacobi Medical Center’s campus into housing for ex-convicts with complex medical needs (such as Stage 4 cancer or congestive heart failure). That same year, she also opposed the construction of 349 housing units (168 of which were affordable housing) in Throggs Neck. She later changed her view, supporting the Throggs Neck development.

Personal life

Velázquez lives in

Throggs Neck Throggs Neck (also known as Throgs Neck) is a neighborhood and peninsula in the south-eastern portion of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is bounded by the East River and Long Island Sound to the south and east, Westchester Creek o ...

with her husband.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velázquez, Marjorie 1981 births 21st-century New York (state) politicians 21st-century American women politicians Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people New York (state) Democrats New York City Council members New York University Stern School of Business alumni Politicians from the Bronx Puerto Rican people in New York (state) politics American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Women New York City Council members