Gabriela Coletta Zapata

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Gabriela Coletta Zapata
Coletta in 2023
Member of the Boston City Council
from the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 18, 2022
Preceded byLydia Edwards
Personal details
Born
Gabriela Coletta

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Sebastian Zapata
​
(m. 2024)​
EducationWest Virginia University
University of Massachusetts Boston (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Gabriela "Gigi" Coletta Zapata is an American politician who represents District 1 on the Boston City Council.[1] She was first elected on May 3, 2022.[2] Prior to being elected to the Boston City Councilor, Gabriela Coletta served as Chief of Staff for former City Councilor Lydia Edwards until 2021 and then went on to serve as External Relations Manager for the New England Aquarium.

Early life and education

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Gabriela Coletta was born and raised in the Eagle Hill Historic District of East Boston. Her parents were local journalists, and would bring her with them to many local events. She attended four different public schools before graduating from Boston Latin Academy. She then attended the University of Massachusetts Boston, graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science.[3]

Early career

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Zapata's first involvement in politics was as a volunteer for Obama's re-election campaign while she was attending college. She later worked on Adrian Madaro's campaign for state representative in 2015 as field director. After his victory, she was hired by Madaro as a community liaison. She was then the associate director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, a nonprofit seeking to support pro-choice women running for office, until she left to become campaign manager for Lydia Edwards in 2017. When Edwards took her seat on the Boston City Council, she hired Zapata as her chief of staff, a position she held for three and a half years.[3] In mid-2021, she left this position in order to accept a position as the external relations manager of the New England Aquarium[4]

Boston City Council

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In 2022, Zapata (at the time still known by her maiden name) ran in a special election to fill the council seat that Edwards had vacated upon her election to the state senate. Voter turnout in the special election was low with only 4,923 ballots being cast; Zapata garnered about 57% of the votes, Tania del Rio received 33%, and Jorge Mendoza (who ran as a write-in candidate) got 10% of the votes.[5] During her campaign, Zapata prioritized the need for more affordable housing in Boston's North End, East Boston and Charlestown neighborhoods.[6] Zapata was re-elected in 2023, running unopposed.[7] She received 94.7% of the vote.[8]

As a city councilor, Zapata started an anti-trash initiative in District 1. The initiative sought to reduce litter by increasing access to trash barrels, expanding civic waste awareness, and called for investments in funding for more community waste clean-ups.[9]

Personal life

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In May 2024, she married Sebastian Zapata in a ceremony at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers, Massachusetts. Attorney General Andrea Campbell officiated the ceremony.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Gabriela Coletta". Boston.gov. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  2. ^ Gavin, Christopher (May 4, 2022). "Gigi Coletta is Boston's newest city councilor". Boston Globe.
  3. ^ a b Weaver, Lex (January 12, 2022). "City council race: Gabriela "Gigi" Coletta running for District 1". The Scope. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Multiple sources:
  5. ^ Tziperman Lotan, Gal (May 4, 2022). "Gabriela 'Gigi' Coletta wins Lydia Edwards' old Boston City Council seat". The Boston Globe.
  6. ^ Gavin, Christopher. "Gigi Coletta Is Boston's Newest City Councilor". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  7. ^ "Coletta Re-Elected as District 1 City Councilor". charlestownbridge.com. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  8. ^ "State and City of Boston Election Results | Boston.gov". www.boston.gov. 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  9. ^ admin (2024-01-11). "City councilor Coletta reflects on second year in office with annual report; sets 'listening session' for East Boston on Jan. 17 | EastBoston.com". Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  10. ^ "Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Marries Sebastian Zapata – East Boston Times-Free Press". East Boston Times Free-Press. July 3, 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2025.