1. Melissa Mark-Viverito was born on April 1,1969 and is an American Democratic politician and former speaker of the New York City Council from 2014 to 2017, as well as councilmember for the 8th district from 2006 to 2017, representing Concourse, Concourse Village, East Harlem, Highbridge, Longwood, Mott Haven, Port Morris, and Randall's Island.
Melissa Mark-Viverito grew up in Bayamon, where her mother still resides.
Melissa Mark-Viverito received her Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in 1995.
Melissa Mark-Viverito served as a member of Manhattan Community Board 11, coordinator of the movement Todo Nueva York con Vieques, president of Mujeres del Barrio, and strategic organizer for Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, an influential health care workers union.
Melissa Mark-Viverito was elected City Council Speaker on January 8,2014, at age 44, becoming the first member of the Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus to hold this position.
In January 2016, Melissa Mark-Viverito introduced a collection of eight bills known as the "Criminal Justice Reform Act" to reduce the penalty for acts such as violating park rules, littering and public urination from misdemeanors to the civil process.
Melissa Mark-Viverito sponsored the bills so that young people in communities of color could "fulfill their potential" by incentivizing officers to give verbal warnings and fines but not remove the option of making arrests.
In 2016, Melissa Mark-Viverito was alleged to have pressured the New York City Housing Authority to fire a black manager of a NYCHA housing project and replace her with a "Spanish Manager".
In 2017, Melissa Mark-Viverito declined to boycott the Puerto Rican Day Parade, after organizers decided to honor Oscar Lopez Rivera, a prominently incarcerated member of Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional Puertorriquena.
In 2018, Melissa Mark-Viverito announced her intention to run for the open seat of New York City Public Advocate, but lost to Jumaane Williams.
Melissa Mark-Viverito's spokesman claimed it to be an honest oversight on her part.
Melissa Mark-Viverito said she was an "extremely private person" but that she what announcing it because she wanted to destigmatize and raise awareness about the disease.