User:Encyclo53/Dr. María Meléndez Altieri

--Encyclo53 (talk) 20:19, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

Dr. María Melendez Altieri, also known as "Mayita", is a dentist and puertorrican politician who was elected as the Mayor of Ponce in the 2008 Puerto Rico General election. This event made her the first elected woman by the people to the office in Ponce's political history. She is also the first mayor of a party other than the Popular Democratic Party in Ponce since 1989, when Rafael Cordero Santiago took the oath of office that same year. This is her second candidacy in politics on the island and first electoral win. In the 2004 general election, she presented her candidacy to be one of the two senators of Puerto Rico's 5th district, but lost in her bid for the position.

Early Life
María Melendez Altieri was born in the city of Bayamón, located in the northern metropolitan area of the island.