Sylvia Ortiz-Velez is an American politician and

real estate broker A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she is a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

from assembly district 8. She was elected to her first term in November 2020. Ortiz-Velez was also a member of the

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

Board of Supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

, serving from 2018 until 2022.

Early life and education

Sylvia Ortiz-Velez was born and raised in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. She earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a ...

. She worked as a

for several years in Milwaukee before being elected to the County Board.

Political career

In 2012, Ortiz-Velez made her first attempt at election to the

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is the legislative branch of the government of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Supervisors are elected to the board in nonpartisan elections. There are 18 supervisors. The county board has sev ...

, challenging four term incumbent supervisor Peggy A. West (then going by the name "Peggy Romo West"). West prevailed in the spring election with 55.71%. Ortiz-Velez challenged West again in 2018, however, and this time defeated her, taking 57% of the vote. Ortiz-Velez was one of several candidates to benefit from the support of then-

County Executive A county executive, county manager or county mayor is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county. The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, the executive typically functions either as a ...

Chris Abele Christopher Seton Abele (born January 28, 1967) is an American businessman and Democratic Party politician. He served as the 6th Milwaukee County Executive from 2011 to 2020. Abele is the son of American businessman John Abele, the co-founder of ...

in his attempts to reshape the County Board in 2018. She was re-elected without opposition in April 2020. During her time on the County Board, she was a member of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, the Judiciary, Safety and General Services Committee, and the Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee. She was also a member of the Mitchell Park Domes Task Force, tasked with developing a long-term plan for the 50-year-old nature conservatory—Ortiz-Velez committed to preserving the domes for future generations in her campaign platform. In addition to her service on the County Board, Ortiz-Velez serves on the advisory board of the United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS). In the spring 2020 election, incumbent Assemblymember

JoCasta Zamarripa JoCasta Zamarripa (born March 8, 1976) is an American politician and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. A Democrat, she represented the 8th assembly district for 10 years. She is now a member of the Milwaukee Common Council. Prior ...

was elected to the

Milwaukee Common Council The municipal government of the U.S. city of Milwaukee, located in the state of Wisconsin, consists of a mayor and common council. Traditionally supporting liberal politicians and movements, this community has consistently proved to be a strongho ...

and announced she would not run for another term in the

. On April 14, 2020, Ortiz-Velez formally announced her candidacy for Zamarripa's assembly seat. In the primary, she faced JoAnna Bautch, the sister of outgoing Assemblymember JoCasta Zamarripa, and the Wisconsin Director of

Citizen Action Citizen Action was a national liberal consumer and public activist group that was active in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s. State-level affiliates have continued on in Connecticut, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The affiliates of Citi ...

. In the primary, Ortiz-Velez supported expanding

BadgerCare BadgerCare Plus, known informally as BadgerCare, is a public healthcare coverage program for low-income Wisconsin residents created by former governor Tommy Thompson and modified by former governor Jim Doyle. The Wisconsin Department of Health Serv ...

(Wisconsin's

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

program) and legalization of

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...

. Despite trailing in the early in-person vote returns, Ortiz Velez narrowly won the primary, taking 53% of the vote after

absentee ballot An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online votin ...

s were counted. Ortiz-Velez earned 78% of the vote in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, defeating Republican Angel Sanchez. The Epitome of Perceived Power Further Corrupting a Soul.

Electoral history

Milwaukee County Board (2012)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 3, 2012

Milwaukee County Board (2018)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 3, 2018

Wisconsin Assembly (2020)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, August 11, 2020 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 2020

References

External links

* *
Official bio
at Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz-Velez, Sylvia Living people Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Wisconsin Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Year of birth missing (living people) Women state legislators in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 21st-century American politicians Politicians from Milwaukee 21st-century American women politicians