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Assemblyman
Felix W. Ortiz
was born and raised in La Playa de Salinas, Puerto Rico where he attended
primary school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Junior High School
at Luis Muoz Rivera in Salinas. When Felix was 14 years old, his family
moved to Arecibo. He attended Colegio Marista in Manati and graduated
from Dr. Mara Cadilla High School in Arecibo the first in his class
at the age of 16. Ortiz then attended the University of Puerto Rico,
where he took courses in Mathematics and Chemistry. While at the University
of Puerto Rico, Mr. Ortiz was a member of the R.O.T.C. (Reserve OfficerTraining
Corps).
At
the early age of 10, still a youngster himself, Felix was very concerned
about the youth in his community. This was most evident when he circulated
a petition, obtaining signatures from parents and youngsters alike,
requesting that the Governor of Puerto Rico support the formation of
a baseball league by donating baseballs, gloves, bats, and other equipment.
His efforts were successful. Ortiz met with the then-Governor of Puerto
Rico, Luis A. Ferr, who in turn, authorized the Commissioner of Parks
and Recreation, Dora Matos de Pasarell, to donate the necessary equipment
and assist in establishing a Little League.
In 1980, Felix Ortiz was the first of his family generation to move
from Puerto Rico to the United States. When he first came to this country,
Ortiz could not speak a word of English. He settled in New York City,
graduated from Boricua College in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree
in Business Administration, and in 1986 received his Masters degree
in Public Administration from New York University.
Mr. Ortiz is a veteran who served two years in the United States Army
from 1986-1988 and was honorably discharged.
Assemblyman Ortiz has been active in community and political issues
in Brooklyn for many years. He was elected Democratic District Leader
of the 51st Assembly District in 1992 and served as such until 1994.
In 1990, Mr. Ortiz founded a grass-roots political group - the Sunset
Park Independent Democratic Association (SPIDA). Mr. Ortiz was a member
of Community Board 7 and served as chair of the Public Safety Committee.
He was President of the 33rd Street Block Association and a member of
the 72nd Precinct Community Council. In addition, Assemblyman Ortiz
was previously a member of the Parish Council of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help. He serves on the Parent Education Task Force of the Diocese of
Brooklyn as well as the Diocesan Racism Commission of the Brooklyn/Queens
Dioceses. Assemblyman Ortiz serves on the Advisory Council of the Kingsborough
Community College Liberty Partnership Program. He is a former member
of the Sunset Park Health Council of the Lutheran Medical Center, the
former Advisory Board of Nuevo Amanecer, and serves as Vice Chair of
Comite de la Virgen de la Providencia Patrona de Puerto Rico.
Prior to his election to the New York State Assembly, Mr. Ortiz served
as Administrative Manager, Bureau of Management and Budget at the office
of the Bronx Borough President. In 1992, he joined Community Self-Help
as Program Director of their Home Making Program and was responsible
for an $11 million budget. From 1988 to 1990, he worked as a Senior
Budget Analyst, Office of Management and Budget, Administration of Criminal
Justice, in the New York City Mayor's Office where he was responsible
for a budget of $769 million.
Assemblyman Ortiz, a Democrat, was elected to the New York State Assembly
in November 1994, to represent the 51st Assembly District, which includes
the communities of Sunset Park, Red Hook, Wyckoff, Gowanus, Windsor
Terrace, South of Park Slope, Borough Park and Boerum Hill. In June
1997, he was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to chair the Subcommittee
on Sweatshops. In July 1998, Speaker Silver appointed Ortiz to serve
as a Member of the National Conference of State Legislators' (NCSL)
Committee on Human Services of the Assembly on Federal Issues; and in
the Fall of 2001 he was appointed Vice-Chair of the Education, Labor
and Workforce Training Committee. In January 2001, he was further appointed
by the Speaker to serve as the Chair of the Assembly Task Force on Food,
Farm and Nutrition Policy. Ortiz also serves as a member on the following
committees: Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; Corporations, Authorities and
Commissions; Correction; Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce
and Industry; Energy; Labor; and Banks.
He is a member of the NYS Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force,
as well as the Black & Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus. He currently
serves as second Vice-Chair of the NYS Association of Black & Puerto
Rican Legislators. In 1996, 1997, and 2000 he was named Chairman of
the Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute
Conference. Assemblyman Ortiz serves as a Regional Chair of the National
Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. In addition, because of the high
number of youth at risk in his community, he has also been appointed
Chair of the Youth at Risk Committee of the same organization.
Since his election to the New York State Assembly, Ortiz has worked
tirelessly to improve conditions in his district. Among his most significant
achievements was the opening of the Computer Literacy Center and a Youth
Employment Program at Together We Help, a community based organization
in his district. He is also responsible for establishing a Quality of
Life Task Force which was organized to protect community residents and
improve their quality of life. Additionally, to his credit, he assisted
with the organization of the Sunset Park and Red Hook Local Development
Corporation, which has been implemented to address the concerns of the
local merchants, as well as promoting economic development within the
communities.
Today, Assemblyman Ortiz is still very interested in advocating for
the youth of New York. He is constantly advocating for a quality educational
system which will prepare our children for the future. In his spare
time, Ortiz enjoys coaching Little League and soccer at Our Lady of
Perpetual Help. Assemblyman Ortiz also works with gang members in his
community encouraging their involvement in education, sports, and other
community events. He hopes to have an impact on their daily lives.
Assemblyman Ortiz maintains a district office at 404 55th Street in
Brooklyn to serve his constituency. Mr. Ortiz, his wife, Elba, and their
three children, Felix, Daniel and Alberto, reside in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Standing Committee Assignments 2001: Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; Banks;
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions; Correction; Economic Development,
Job Creation, Commerce and Industry; Energy; Labor.
Felix W. Ortiz, Dem. 16,761; Ind. 227; Lib. 379; Wor. 1,316
Hilario LaBoy, Rep. 1,673; Con. 193
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