Ritchie Torres

Ritchie Torres
Member of the New York City Council from the 15th District
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2014
Preceded by Joel Rivera
Constituency The Bronx (Central Bronx)
Personal details
Born May 12, 1988

Ritchie Torres (born March 12, 1988) is a is a New York City Council Member for the 15th District, located in the Central Bronx. Torres is the first openly gay candidate to be elected to legislative office in the Bronx and the youngest member of the City Council. Torres is the Chair of the Committee on Public Housing, and is a Deputy Leader of the New York City Council.

Torres previously worked as the Housing Director for Council Member James Vacca. As Housing Director, Torres organized tenant associations in dilapidated buildings throughout the district, and rallied residents to fight for building improvements and rent reductions. Torres pressured landlords to fix boilers so tenants could have heat on cold nights, and to seal leaky roofs to prevent water damage and mold in common areas and apartment units. Torres knocked on thousands of doors in both private and NYCHA developments to personally conduct site inspections and document conditions, ensuring critical housing issues were promptly and adequately addressed.[1][2]

When he won the Democratic Party nomination for New York City Council, Torres became the first openly gay political candidate in The Bronx to win the Democratic Party nomination, and is the first openly gay official in The Bronx.[3][4]

References

  1. ↑ "Biography". council.nyc.gov. Retrieved 08/11/14. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ↑ "Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. endorses Ritchie Torres for City Council seat". NY Daily News. August 6, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  3. ↑ Name * (September 11, 2013). "Riding Widespread Institutional Support, Torres and Cohen Breeze to Primary Wins". Norwood News. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Ritchie Torres, Bronx City Council Race Frontrunner, Among 3 Openly Gay Candidates In Historic Election". Huffingtonpost.com. June 13, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.