Julia Mejia
Julia Mejia is an At-Large City Councilor in Boston, Massachusetts. Elected in 2019, Mejia is the first Latina elected to the council.[1]
Julia Mejia | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Boston City Council at-large | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Althea Garrison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dominican Republic |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Dorchester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Mount Ida College |
| Website | juliaforboston.com |
Biography
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised by a single mother, Mejia came to the United States when she was five years old. She graduated from Dorchester High School[2] and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Ida College.[3]
Mejia worked as a reporter for MTV covering the 2000 U.S. presidential election[3] and an organizer with Massachusetts Charter Public School Association.[4] She is the founder of Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network (CPLAN).[5]
Mejia ran for one of four at-large Boston City Council seats in November 2019 in a field of eight candidates. After a recount, she won the fourth seat by one vote.[6] Mejia took office on January 6, 2020, becoming the first immigrant to serve on the council.[7]
Mejia lives with her daughter, Annalise, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston.[2]
Electoral history
| 2019 Boston at-large City Council election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Primary election[8] | General election[9] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Michelle Wu (incumbent) | 26,622 | 19.4 | 41,664 | 20.7 |
| Annissa Essaibi George (incumbent) | 18,993 | 13.8 | 34,109 | 17.0 |
| Michael F. Flaherty (incumbent) | 18,766 | 13.7 | 33,284 | 16.6 |
| Julia Mejia | 10,799 | 7.9 | 22,492 | 11.2 |
| Alejandra St. Guillen | 11,910 | 8.7 | 22,491 | 11.2 |
| Erin Murphy | 9,385 | 6.8 | 16,867 | 8.4 |
| Althea Garrison (incumbent) | 9,720 | 7.1 | 16,189 | 8.1 |
| David Halbert | 6,354 | 4.8 | 13,214 | 6.6 |
| Martin Keogh | 6,246 | 4.5 | ||
| Jeffrey Ross | 5,078 | 3.7 | ||
| Priscilla Flint-Banks | 4,094 | 3.0 | ||
| Domingos DaRosa | 2,840 | 2.1 | ||
| Michel Denis | 2,108 | 1.5 | ||
| William King | 1,809 | 1.3 | ||
| Herb Lozano | 1,510 | 1.10 | ||
| all others | 766 | 0.6 | 704 | 0.4 |
| Total | 137,380 | 100 | 201,014 | 100 |
| 2021 Boston City Council at-large election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Primary election[10] | General election | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Michael F. Flaherty (incumbent) | 41,299 | 15.0 | 62,606 | 17.4 |
| Julia Mejia (incumbent) | 38,765 | 14.1 | 62,058 | 17.3 |
| Ruthzee Louijeune | 33,425 | 12.2 | 54,898 | 15.3 |
| Erin Murphy | 22,835 | 8.3 | 43,076 | 12.0 |
| David Halbert | 16,921 | 6.2 | 42,765 | 11.9 |
| Carla Monteiro | 18,844 | 6.9 | 39,876 | 11.1 |
| Bridget Nee-Walsh | 15,118 | 5.5 | 27,591 | 7.7 |
| Althea Garrison | 16,810 | 6.1 | 25,078 | 7.0 |
| Kelly Bates | 12,735 | 4.6 | ||
| Alexander Gray | 11,263 | 4.1 | ||
| Jon Spillane | 11,155 | 4.1 | ||
| Said Abdikarim | 7,725 | 2.8 | ||
| Domingos DaRosa | 7,139 | 2.6 | ||
| Donnie Palmer Jr. | 6,823 | 2.5 | ||
| Roy Owens Sr. | 5,223 | 1.9 | ||
| James Colimon | 4,671 | 1.7 | ||
| Nick Vance | 3,943 | 1.4 | ||
| Write-ins | 845 | 0.3 | 1,350 | 0.4 |
| Total | 274,694 | 100 | 359,294 | 100 |
References
- "Julia Mejia Sworn In As Boston's First Latina City Councilor". CBS Boston. 2020-01-06. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Julia Mejia for City Council At-Large". Julia for Boston. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Julia Mejia". Boston.gov. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- Jonas, Michael (2019-12-11). "Riding high on 1-vote win for City Council". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM". CPLAN. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- Ebbert, Stephanie (13 January 2020). "How Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia found her voice". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- Valencia, Milton J. (January 7, 2020). "Boston ushers in historic diversity with new City Council". The Boston Globe. p. B6. Retrieved March 24, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- "CITY COUNCILLOR AT LARGE" (PDF). City of Boston. September 24, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019 – via boston.gov.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "CITY OF BOSTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 5, 2019 - RECOUNT CITY COUNCILLOR AT LARGE" (PDF). www.boston.gov. City of Boston. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- "Unofficial Election Results". Boston.gov. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
