Maritza Davila (born November 16, 1963) is an American politician from the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the 53rd district in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

. According to her self-described biography, Davila was born in Catano,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. She has served as the President of the Community School Board of Education in District 32, founded the North Brooklyn Residents Association, and is a member on the

Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council RiseBoro Community Partnership, formerly known as Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, is a non-profit organization in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Founded in 1973 by Vito Lopez Vito Joseph Lopez (June 5, 1941 – November 9, 2015) was an Ameri ...

, which was founded by her predecessor, former Assemblymember

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, 1 ...

. She received an AA in Political Science from Long Island University in 2013. She has represented the 53rd District in the New York State Assembly since 2013, and is currently in her 6th term. In the Assembly, Davila chairs the Committee on Social Services and is a member of the Committees on Housing, Rules, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and Children and Families. She is also a member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, the Legislative Women's Caucus, the Task Force on Women's Issues, and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, which she formerly chaired. She also serves as the female District Leader from the 53rd District, where she has challenged current Kings County Democratic Party Chair

Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (born December 2, 1972) is an American politician who serves as the Assembly Member for the 42nd District of the New York State Assembly. She is a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat. The district includes portion ...

New York State Assembly

Davila is the lead sponsor of A02305, often known as the Elder Parole Bill, to allow incarcerated people who have served more than 15 years in prison and are over 55 years old be evaluated by the New York State Board of Parole. In 2022 Davila received a 94% vote score from the New York League of Conservation Voters. In 2021 she received a 93% score. The New York Conservative Party gave Davila a 12% vote score in 2021 and a 8% in 2021. She has been characterized as being on the left flank of New York State Assembly Democrats.

Kings County Democratic Party

Davila has frequently found herself leading a group of Brooklyn politicians calling for reform in the Kings County Democratic Party, criticizing the leadership of Chair and Assemblymember

. In 2021, Davila led calls for Bichotte Hermelyn to resign. In 2022, Davila challenged Bichotte Hermelyn with support from the reformist organization

New Kings Democrats New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

. Bichotte Hermelyn won, receiving votes from 23 district leaders. 12 voted for Davila, six abstained and four were absent.

Elections

In 2009, Davila ran for

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 ...

in the 34th District and lost to

Diana Reyna Diana Reyna (born November 23, 1973) is an American politician who was the deputy borough president for Brooklyn and a member of the New York City Council from the 34th District, which includes Williamsburg and Bushwick as well as Ridgewood i ...

in the Democratic Primary. Reyna received 45.57% of the vote to Davila's 43.15%. Gerald A. Esposito received 11.28%. Davila first won her State Assembly seat, District 53, in a special election in 2013. She received 51.91% of the vote, Jason Otano received 31.61%, and Charveys Gonzalez received 16.49%. Since then Davila has been re-elected five times, without a competitive election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davila, Maritza 1963 births American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state) Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people Long Island University alumni Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Cataño, Puerto Rico 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the New York State Legislature