Liz Malia
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth A. "Liz" Malia (born September 30, 1949) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat
, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
since March 1998. She represents the Eleventh Suffolk district, which includes parts of the Boston neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain
, Roslindale
, Roxbury
and Dorchester
.
In the legislature, she serves as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. She also serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.
Malia graduated from Boston College
in 1971 with a BA in Education and English, returning in 1989 to complete the graduate certificate program at the Center for Women in Politics and Government. She worked in human services, healthcare, community organizing and labor advocacy before becoming chief of staff to state representative John E. McDonough
in 1990.
In late 1997, McDonough retired mid-term to take up an associate professorship at Brandeis University
and Malia jumped into the race to succeed him. She won the special preliminary election easily and went on to win 67% of the special general election vote. She was re-elected in November 1998 and has won biennial re-election ever since.
Malia, a lesbian, co-founded the Bay State Gay and Lesbian Democrats in the mid-1980s. She is one of seven openly LGBT
members of the Massachusetts General Court
, alongside Representatives Carl Sciortino
(D–Medford
), Sarah Peake
(D–Provincetown
), Kate Hogan
(D–Stow
), Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
(D–Springfield
) and Denise Andrews
(D–Orange
), as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg (D–Amherst
).
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
since March 1998. She represents the Eleventh Suffolk district, which includes parts of the Boston neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Jamaica Plain is a historic neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury...
, Roslindale
Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain...
, Roxbury
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
and Dorchester
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
.
In the legislature, she serves as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. She also serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.
Malia graduated from Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in 1971 with a BA in Education and English, returning in 1989 to complete the graduate certificate program at the Center for Women in Politics and Government. She worked in human services, healthcare, community organizing and labor advocacy before becoming chief of staff to state representative John E. McDonough
John E. McDonough
John E. McDonough is a professor of public health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He was an American politician who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1985–1997....
in 1990.
In late 1997, McDonough retired mid-term to take up an associate professorship at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
and Malia jumped into the race to succeed him. She won the special preliminary election easily and went on to win 67% of the special general election vote. She was re-elected in November 1998 and has won biennial re-election ever since.
Malia, a lesbian, co-founded the Bay State Gay and Lesbian Democrats in the mid-1980s. She is one of seven openly LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members of the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, alongside Representatives Carl Sciortino
Carl Sciortino
Carl M. Sciortino, Jr., commonly known as Carl Sciortino, is an American politician from Massachusetts. A Democrat, he is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 34th Middlesex district...
(D–Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
), Sarah Peake
Sarah Peake
Sarah K. Peake is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2007. She represents the Fourth Barnstable district, a Cape Cod district that includes her hometown of Provincetown. She previously served...
(D–Provincetown
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
), Kate Hogan
Kate Hogan
Kate Hogan is an American politician from Stow, Massachusetts. A Democrat, she is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 3rd Middlesex district...
(D–Stow
Stow, Massachusetts
Stow is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,590 at the 2010 census.- History :Stow was first settled c. 1660 by Matthew Boon and John Kettell...
), Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 1999. She represents the Tenth Hampden district, centered on her hometown of Springfield...
(D–Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
) and Denise Andrews
Denise Andrews
Denise Andrews is an American politician from Western Massachusetts. A Democrat, she is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 2nd Franklin district. She was first elected in 2010 and took office on January 5, 2011. The 2nd Franklin district comprises six towns,...
(D–Orange
Orange, Massachusetts
Orange is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,839 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.Part of the town is included in the census-designated place of Orange....
), as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg (D–Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
).