Former City Hall chief of staff Ivalis Meza Gonzalez beat out conservative attorney Paula McGee 57.4% to 42.7%% in the District 8 council runoff Saturday night.

Meza Gonzalez, 43, who grew up entrenched in Democratic politics from a young age, took a commanding lead in the first round of a six-way council race.

Her mother, “Choco” González Meza, was a longtime voting rights advocate, La Raza Unida activist, local Democratic Party chair, and the inspiration for her daughter’s political career.

“My mother taught me the importance of community and civic engagement,” Meza Gonzalez, 43, said in an October 2024 speech covered by La Prensa . “Her life’s work wasn’t just a career; it was a calling. And now, it’s my turn to carry that torch forward.”

Amid several strangely polarized run

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