NYC Council Picks Puerto-Rico Born Mark-Viverito as Speaker
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The New York City Council chose as its speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, a Puerto Rico-born Democrat who represents East Harlem and the Bronx and supports higher wages and more social-service programs.
A co-founder of the council’s 20-member progressive caucus, Mark-Viverito, 44, becomes the first Hispanic to lead the council. Her election followed a two-month campaign among as many as seven candidates that included public forums and private conversations with Democratic county chairmen and union leaders. Mark-Viverito was an early backer of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2013 election campaign, and the new mayor supported her bid to become speaker.