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Deni Taveras
Taveras in 2023
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 47B district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2023
Preceded byWanika B. Fisher
Member of the Prince George's County Council, District 2
In office
December 1, 2014 – December 5, 2022
Preceded byWill Campos
Succeeded byWanika B. Fisher
Personal details
Born (1972-12-13) December 13, 1972 (age 51)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceAdelphi, Maryland
WebsiteCampaign website

Deni Taveras (born December 13, 1972) is a Dominican American politician who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 47B in Prince George's County, Maryland. She was previously a member of the Prince George's County Council, representing District 2 from 2014 to 2022.[1]

Early life and education

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Taveras was born in New York City in December 13, 1972.[2] When Taveras was only four years old, her mother, Filomena Garcia, committed suicide. She moved between family members in New York and the Dominican Republic before settling with her father, Bienvenido Taveras. Taveras' father was killed while he was driving his taxi cab when she was eight years old. After this, she was placed under the care of her maternal grandmother in the neighborhood of Harlem.[3]

Taveras attended Barnard College, where she earned a B.A. in chemistry in 1995, the University of Utah, where she earned a M.S. in chemistry in 1998, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where she earned a M.P.A. degree in public affairs and urban regional planning in 2003.[2]

Taveras moved to Maryland after receiving a job offer from the Dominican American National Roundtable in Washington, D.C. Taveras became unemployed when the Great Recession hit. At the same time, the condominium complex she lived in was going bankrupt, and Taveras assumed leadership of the condo association.[3]

Political involvement

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After earning her master's degree, Taveras worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Her concern for environmental issues prompted her to lead efforts to ban both fracking and styrofoam in her county.[4] She became involved with Dominicans 2000, a group of Dominicans seeking to make community change through political action.[3]

From 2011 to 2013, Taveras worked as the chief of staff for state senator Victor R. Ramirez.[2]

Taveras made her first run for public office in 2014 for the Prince George's County Council in District 2, seeking to succeed councilmember Will Campos, who ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 47B. During her primary campaign, Taveras sought to win over Hispanic voters and received endorsements from Campos, County Executive Rushern Baker, and state delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk.[5][6] She won the Democratic primary in June 2014, edging out state delegate Doyle Niemann by six votes.[7] After the ballots were counted, Neimann requested a recount but it did not change the vote difference.[8] Taveras was unopposed in the general election.[9]

Prince George's County Council

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Taveras is sworn in as county councilmember

Taveras was sworn into the Prince George's County Council on December 1, 2014,[2] making her the first Latina elected to the council.[7] She was re-elected in 2018 after narrowly winning the Democratic primary against Hyattsville mayor Candace Hollingsworth.[10][11] In December 2020, the council voted to elect Taveras to serve as its vice chair.[12]

In September 2021, Taveras, termed out of running for a third term on the Prince George's County Council, announced that she would for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 47B in 2022.[13] She won the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022, receiving 52.6 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election.[14]

In the legislature

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Taveras was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2023.[2] She is a member of the House Health and Government Operations Committee.[15]

Political positions

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Development initiatives

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In October 2018, Taveras voted against overriding County Executive Rushern Baker's veto on a bill that would waive a school facilities surcharge for certain residential developers.[16]

Housing

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In 2016, Taveras introduced legislation that would hold landlords and property managers accountable for sex trafficking at their rental properties. The bill passed the county council unanimously and was signed into law by County Executive Baker.[17]

In September 2020, Taveras introduced the "Fair Housing Act", a bill to strengthen the county's code enforcement to improve the quality of housing.[18]

Immigration

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In 2019, Taveras voted in favor of legislation that would block all county agencies from engaging in immigration enforcement.[19]

Policing

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In 2019, Taveras introduced legislation that would require all police officers to wear body cameras. Following the killing of William Green, a handicuffed man, by police officer Michael Owen Jr. in January 2020, Taveras reintroduced the bill.[20][21]

Social issues

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In 2015, Taveras was one of two county councilmembers to vote in favor of a proposal to provide paid sick leave to workers in Prince George's County.[22]

In 2018, Taveras voted in favor of legislation that would establish a public financing program for local candidates by 2026.[23]

Statewide and national politics

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Taveras endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on November 17, 2015.[24]

In 2021, Taveras endorsed state delegate Brooke Lierman for Comptroller of Maryland.[25] She initially endorsed former Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker for Governor of Maryland,[26] but later endorsed author and former nonprofit CEO Wes Moore after Baker suspended his campaign.[27]

Transportation

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Taveras expressed concern over the construction of the Purple Line in her district, saying "I don't want to lose the vibrancy and the diversity that we currently have in our community. That is what makes us who we are in Langley Park and gives us the rich vibrancy that we have." Despite her concerns, she acknowledged that this displacement was inevitable in the long run, even with all the potential benefits of the Purple Line.[28] She also expressed skepticism over a plan to add toll lanes to the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 using public-private partnerships.[29][30]

Personal life

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Taveras lives in Adelphi, Maryland.[31]

Electoral history

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Prince George's County Council District 2 Democratic primary election, 2014[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deni Taveras 2,423 50.1
Democratic Doyle Niemann 2,417 49.9
Prince George's County Council District 2 election, 2014[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deni Taveras 10,000 98.5
Write-in 152 1.5
Prince George's County Council District 2 Democratic primary election, 2018[34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deni Taveras 3,597 52.6
Democratic Candace Hollingsworth 3,240 47.4
Prince George's County Council District 2 election, 2018[35]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deni Taveras 16,290 98.3
Write-in 279 1.7
Maryland House of Delegates District 47B Democratic primary election, 2022[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deni Taveras 1,012 52.6
Democratic Marlin Jenkins 872 45.3
Democratic Jorge Sactic 41 2.1
Maryland House of Delegates District 47B election, 2022[36]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deni Taveras 3,259 98.10
Write-in 63 1.90

References

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  1. ^ "Members – Delegate Deni Taveras". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Deni Taveras, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Lopez-Bernstein, Maria (April 27, 2017). "The Sky's No Limit". Prince George's Suite. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  4. ^ Lynn, Michele (October 31, 2019). "Called to Serve". Barnard College. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Hernández, Arelis (April 29, 2014). "Opportunity sparks Latino rivalry in new Prince George's legislative district". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Hernández, Arelis (June 26, 2014). "After outreach to Latino voters, Niemann and Taveras are separated by a mere 13 votes". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Hernández, Arelis (July 7, 2014). "Deni Taveras wins Prince George's Council seat by just six votes". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Hernández, Arelis (July 16, 2014). "Doyle Niemann concedes to Deni Taveras after primary for Pr. George's council seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Wu, Sydney (November 7, 2014). "How Bowie, Prince George's County Voted in 2014 Election". Patch. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  10. ^ Chason, Rachel (June 28, 2018). "New faces on Prince George's council, and two races still too close to call". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  11. ^ Chason, Rachel (December 4, 2018). "New council leaders elected in Prince George's, pledging to work with Alsobrooks". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Chason, Rachel (December 1, 2020). "Calvin Hawkins to lead Prince George's County Council". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Gaines, Danielle (September 8, 2021). "Aide to Del. Wanika Fisher Announces Bid to Replace Her in House". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Official 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. August 24, 2022.
  15. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (January 5, 2023). "Jones announces new Democratic caucus, committee leaders for 2023 General Assembly session". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Chason, Rachel (October 15, 2018). "In Prince George's, a battle over whether developers must fund school construction". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Hernández, Arelis (November 18, 2016). "New law could make landlords liable for sex trafficking at their rentals". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  18. ^ Wanneh, Gabrielle (January 2, 2020). "Joint Effort Aims at Addressing Housing Ills in Predominantly Latino Neighborhood". Maryland Matters. Capital News Service. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  19. ^ Chason, Rachel (November 19, 2019). "Prince George's Council bans agencies from working with ICE". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  20. ^ Chason, Rachel (February 3, 2020). "Pressure grows for full deployment of body cameras in Prince George's after fatal shooting of handcuffed man". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  21. ^ Lambert, Evan (February 3, 2020). "New push for body cameras for PGPD officers after officer-involved shooting". WTTG. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  22. ^ Hernández, Arelis (October 13, 2015). "Paid sick leave fails in Prince George's; council wants to wait for state to act". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  23. ^ Chason, Rachel (October 24, 2018). "Prince George's approves matching funds for local candidates — starting in 2026". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  24. ^ Fritze, John (November 17, 2015). "Hillary Clinton unveils more than 70 Md. endorsements". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  25. ^ Leckrone, Bennett (May 24, 2021). "Hoyer, Prince George's County Elected Officials Endorse Lierman for Comptroller". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  26. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (August 31, 2021). "Prince George's Councilmembers Endorse Rushern Baker's Second Bid for Governor". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  27. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (June 29, 2022). "Franchot Won't Debate Perez, Moore on Radio Show; Baker Endorsement is on Hold". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  28. ^ Lazo, Luz (February 18, 2017). "For low-income communities, the Purple Line is an opportunity and a threat". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  29. ^ Shaver, Katherine (September 26, 2020). "Despite Purple Line problems, Maryland will pursue public-private partnership for toll lane plan". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  30. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (November 5, 2020). "MDOT Secretary Questioned On Under-Beltway Utilities, Possible Purple Line Settlement". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  31. ^ Chason, Rachel (December 27, 2018). "Meet the members of the Prince George's County Council". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  32. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Prince George's County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. July 16, 2014.
  33. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for Prince George's County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. February 12, 2014.
  34. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Prince George's County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. July 31, 2018.
  35. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for Prince George's County". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. November 12, 2018.
  36. ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election Results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections.
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