District Office:
286 Lafayette Ave. Buffalo, NY 14213 Phone:874-3257 Fax:874-4779 Email: whytem@erie.gov

Maria Whyte (D-Buffalo) is currently an Erie County Legislator for the 6th District. January 2006 marks the first time Maria has ever sought or held elected office. Prior to becoming the 6th District Legislator, Maria served five years as Executive Director of the Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ). There, she coordinated CEJ’s six programs as well as worked to maintain the financial integrity of the organization.

She has a strong activist background, even as a student organizer for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) at Syracuse University (SU). In May 1999 she earned a B.A. in International Relations with Honors from SU. Prior to working with CEJ, Maria worked as Assistant to the Director at the Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC) in Washington, DC. At GHRC she worked with torture survivors from around the world to form the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Committee (TASSC). Maria worked with TASSC to convene Congressional Hearings on the use of Torture through the Human Rights Caucus of Congress.

Maria currently lives with her husband and baby on Buffalo’s West Side.