Sylvia Ortiz-Velez | |
|---|---|
| Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from the8th district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | JoCasta Zamarripa |
| Member of theMilwaukee CountyBoard of Supervisors from the12th district | |
| In office April 2018 – April 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Peggy A. West |
| Succeeded by | Juan Miguel Martinez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (BA) |
| Occupation | politician, real estate agent |
| Website | |
Sylvia Ortiz-Velez is an Americanreal estate broker andDemocratic politician fromMilwaukee, Wisconsin. She is a member of theWisconsin State Assembly, representingWisconsin's 8th Assembly district since 2021. As of September 2025, she has quit the Assembly Democratic caucus after a heated disagreement in which Ortiz-Velez allegedly threatened to shoot three of her colleagues. She previously served on theMilwaukee County Board of Supervisors from 2018 until 2022.
Sylvia Ortiz-Velez was born and raised inMilwaukee,Wisconsin.[1] She earned aB.A. inpolitical science from theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.[2] She worked as areal estate broker for several years in Milwaukee before being elected to the County Board.[2]
In 2012, Ortiz-Velez made her first attempt at election to theMilwaukee County Board of Supervisors, challenging four term incumbent supervisor Peggy A. West (then going by the name "Peggy Romo West").[3] West prevailed in the spring election with 55.71%.[4] Ortiz-Velez challenged West again in 2018, however, and this time defeated her, taking 57% of the vote.[5][6] Ortiz-Velez was one of several candidates to benefit from the support of then-County ExecutiveChris Abele in his attempts to reshape the County Board in 2018.[7][8] She was re-elected without opposition in April 2020.
During her time on the County Board, she was a member of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, the Judiciary, Safety and General Services Committee, and the Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee. She was also a member of theMitchell Park Domes Task Force, tasked with developing a long-term plan for the 50-year-old nature conservatory—Ortiz-Velez committed to preserving the domes for future generations in her campaign platform.[2] In addition to her service on the County Board, Ortiz-Velez serves on the advisory board of the United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS).[2]
In the spring 2020 election, incumbent AssemblymemberJoCasta Zamarripa was elected to theMilwaukee Common Council and announced she would not run for another term in theWisconsin State Assembly. On April 14, 2020, Ortiz-Velez formally announced her candidacy for Zamarripa's assembly seat.[9] In the primary, she faced JoAnna Bautch, the sister of outgoing Assemblymember JoCasta Zamarripa, and the Wisconsin Director ofCitizen Action.[10][11] In the primary, Ortiz-Velez supported expandingBadgerCare (Wisconsin'sMedicaid program) and legalization ofmedical marijuana.[11] Despite trailing in the early in-person vote returns, Ortiz Velez narrowly won the primary, taking 53% of the vote afterabsentee ballots were counted.[12] Ortiz-Velez earned 78% of the vote in thegeneral election, defeating Republican Angel Sanchez.
In September 2025, Ortiz-Velez quit the Assembly Democratic caucus after months of conflict with other members, and was then briefly banned from theWisconsin State Capitol after she allegedly threatened to shoot three Democratic colleagues. Ortiz-Velez had previously split from the Democratic caucus on several high profile votes since her arrival in the Assembly in 2021; one of her first major floor speeches was to oppose Democratic redistricting efforts. Recently, Ortiz-Velez has been in a heated feud with fellow Milwaukee representativePriscilla Prado over the Legislature's new Hispanic Legislative Caucus—which Ortiz-Velez declined to join.[13] Ortiz-Velez also plans to testify on an upcoming bill about local executive emergency powers to accuse Milwaukee County executiveDavid Crowley of exceeding his authority in requesting county officials to disclose theirCOVID-19 vaccination status.[14]
Ortiz-Velez is the daughter of a former evangelical minister; she has seven siblings.
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | General[4] | Apr. 3 | Peggy Romo West (inc) | Nonpartisan | 1,278 | 55.71% | Sylvia Ortiz | Non. | 1,003 | 43.72% | 2,294 | 275 |
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | General[15] | Apr. 3 | Sylvia Ortiz-Velez | Nonpartisan | 815 | 57.11% | Peggy West (inc) | Non. | 602 | 42.19% | 1,427 | 213 |
| 2020 | General[16] | Apr. 7 | Sylvia Ortiz-Velez | Nonpartisan | 2,025 | 98.93% | --Unopposed-- | 2,047 | 2,003 | |||
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Primary[17] | Aug. 11 | Sylvia Ortiz-Velez | Democratic | 901 | 53.06% | JoAnna Bautch | Dem. | 793 | 46.70% | 1,698 | 108 |
| General[18] | Nov. 3 | Sylvia Ortiz-Velez | Democratic | 8,914 | 78.70% | Angel C. Sanchez | Rep. | 2,375 | 20.97% | 11,326 | 6,539 | |
| 2022 | General[19] | Nov. 8 | Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (inc) | Democratic | 6,573 | 98.10% | --Unopposed-- | 6,700 | 6,446 | |||
| 2024 | Primary[20] | Aug. 13 | Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (inc) | Democratic | 1,430 | 80.61% | Enrique Murguia | Dem. | 336 | 18.94% | 1,774 | 1,094 |
| General[21] | Nov. 5 | Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (inc) | Democratic | 10,987 | 97.97% | --Unopposed-- | 11,215 | 10,759 | ||||
| Wisconsin State Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theWisconsin State Assemblyfrom the8th district January 4, 2021 – present | Incumbent |