Nicole Malliotakis

Nicole Malliotakis
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 64th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2013
Preceded by	Incumbent
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 60th district
In office January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2012
Preceded by	Janele Hyer-Spencer
Personal details
Born	(1980-11-11) November 11, 1980[1][2] New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Residence	Staten Island, New York
Alma mater	Seton Hall University Wagner College
Profession	Legislator
Religion	Greek Orthodox
Website	Official website

Nicole Malliotakis (born November 11, 1980)^[1][2] is a Republican politician from New York City who represents a small portion of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Staten Island in the New York State Assembly. The Assemblywoman is the daughter of Greek and Cuban immigrants. She is the only Republican woman elected in New York City and the first Hispanic-American to win elected office in Staten Island.^[3] She is one of the first two Greek-American women elected to office in New York.^[4][5]

Education and background

Malliotakis received a B.A. in communications from Seton Hall University and a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from Wagner College.^[6]

Malliotakis is the daughter of immigrant parents. Her mother is an immigrant from Cuba and her father is from Greece. Raised in the Greek Orthodox faith, Ms. Malliotakis grew up in Great Kills, Staten Island.^[7]

Legislative career

In 2013, she was recognized as a rising star.^[8] After Representative Michael Grimm announced his retirement at the end of 2014, Malliotakis was mentioned as a top contender for his seat before deciding against a run. ^[9]

In 2013, she was selected by the American Conservative Union to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C. as one of the nation's 10 Conservative rising stars under the age of 40.

Committee Assignments as of 2012:

• Ways & Means
• Banks
• Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions
• Governmental Employees (ranking minority member)^[10]
• Transportation^[11]

She has made elder rights a hallmark of her tenure and has successfully fought to keep senior centers in Brooklyn and Staten Island from being closed.^[12]

Assemblywoman Malliotakis has been widely recognized for her work to help her constituents in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated her legislative district in 2012.

Another priority of Assemblywoman Malliotakis has been the restoration of MTA bus service in her district. She successfully fought with Senator Golden and the Brooklyn City Council Representative to restore bus lines to her district including the x1, x27, B37, S76 and S93.^[13][14] She also held a series of forums with regard to the MTA Payroll Mobility Tax and its negative impact on small businesses, non-profit organizations, and private schools.^[15] The Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo subsequently enacted significant repeals.^[16]

She has been at the forefront of the fight for relief from the September 2011 toll increase on Port Authority bridges,^[17] calling for divestment of costly non-essential real estate holdings and highlighting mismanaged contributions to community organizations.^[18]

In October 2011 she submitted an amicus brief in support of the American Automobile Association lawsuit against the Port Authority in federal court, arguing that the toll increases were illegal,^[19] and successfully brought an Article 78 proceeding in New York State Supreme Court to get the Port Authority to disclose the results of an economic impact study regarding the effect the toll increases have had on business at New York Container Terminal.^[20]

During her first year in the Assembly, Assemblywoman Malliotakis has received numerous awards and recognition including being named a 'Rising Star' by Capitol News, Home Reporter News,^[21] the Hispanic Coalition of New York,^[22] and the Greek America Foundation.^[23] She has also been named a 'Top Ranking Pro Jobs Supporter' by The Business Council of New York State.^[24]

In a May 2014 posting on her website, in response to allegations about Brian Levine, the senior administrative law judge of the Traffic Violations Bureau in Staten Island, Malliotakis stated she will investigate the arrangement in which Traffic Violations Bureau judges make decisions on cases that benefit their employer.^[25]

In November 2015, Assemblywoman Malliotakis was named New York State Chair of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio's campaign for President of the United States.^[26]

She is single and resides in Staten Island.

Early career and election

Malliotakis worked as a Community Liaison for both former state senator John Marchi (2003–2004) and former governor George Pataki (2004–2006). Prior to her election, Malliotakis also worked on state energy policy as the public affairs manager for Consolidated Edison Company of New York.^[6]

In 2010, Malliotakis won the election to represent the 60th District in the New York State Assembly. She defeated two-term Democratic incumbent Janele Hyer-Spencer by a margin of 10 percentage points.^[27]

Upon being elected to the Assembly, Malliotakis became the first Greek-American woman elected to office in New York State, the first Cuban-American woman elected to office in New York State, and the first person of Hispanic descent elected from Staten Island. She is the only Republican woman elected to any office or district that encompasses New York City and is one of only two Republicans from the City of New York elected to the State Assembly, along with Joseph Borelli.

Assemblywoman Malliotakis was re-elected in 2012 with 61% of the vote and again in 2014 with an overwhelming 73% of the vote in both Brooklyn and Staten Island.

References

External links

• Government Site
• Campaign Site