~ Political Announcement ~ Zayda Ortiz kicks off campaign for State Rep 35th Middlesex

Zayda Ortiz (D) kicked off her candidacy for State Representative for the 35th Middlesex District February 8 at 110 Grill in Malden. Speaking to a crowded room, Zayda Ortiz shared her vision for the future of the 35th Middlesex district which focused on affordable, abundant housing, climate justice and safe, reliable public transit. Ms. Ortiz, a long time Malden resident, is a community organizer, working locally as one of the founders of Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors and across the state as President of Progressive Mass.

The speaking program began with recently elected Malden City Councilor Ariane Taylor saying “Zayda will be ready to work on day one and will bring her strong voice and work ethic with her to represent every person in the 35th Middlesex”.

  Malden resident, Bridget Mutebi spoke about Ms. Ortiz and her advocacy helping their neighbors during the pandemic “Zayda was the light that sparkled in the darkness during the shutdown and now she is ready to be the Lighthouse that guides us through the rough waves to the safe harbors.”

Ms. Ortiz described her lifetime of organizing from staging a sit-in to change a sexist dress code policy to fighting for marriage equality so her friends would be able to have the same rights as any other committed couple. She highlighted her decades of advocacy at the state house to make change here in the district as well as Massachusetts.

“When the pandemic hit I worried about my neighbors who were elderly, alone and needed help. I joined with like-minded people and we created a mutual aid group called Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors. We started by reaching out to seniors checking in with them to see if they needed help or just someone to talk and listen to them.”

Ms. Ortiz described leveraging her connections in government to connect neighbors with pandemic related resources and how that work led to her invitation to join the ARPA committee with The City of Malden that created the Department of Housing Stability.

The Democratic Primary will be held September 3, 2024. More information about Zayda Ortiz and her campaign can be found on her website https://ElectZayda.com. The site includes biographical information about Ms. Ortiz.