Maria del Carmen Arroyo

Maria del Carmen Arroyo is the former Council member for the 17th District of the New York City Council. She is a Democrat.
The district includes Belmont, Claremont Village, Clason Point, Concourse, Concourse Village, Crotona Park, Hunts Point, Longwood, Melrose, Morrisania, Mott Haven, North Brother Island, Parkchester, Port Morris, Soundview, South Brother Island, Tremont and West Farms in The Bronx.

Arroyo was born Corozal, Puerto Rico and moved to The Bronx with her family when she was seven years old. She is the daughter of Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo. In her childhood, Arroyo attended P.S. 154 in the South Bronx, Junior High School in Harlem and two years of high school at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan before dropping out to assist her family financially by working full-time. She wouldn't earn her GED until she was twenty years old.

Following working as a receptionist, she enrolled at Hostos Community College, where she earned her associate degree before attending Lehman College for her Bachelor's and finally New York University for her Masters in Public Administration. She then served as Executive Director at Segundo Ruiz Belvis D & TC before working as Senior Director of Operations for the Narco Freedom, Inc, and then as volunteer Executive Director of the South Bronx Community Corporation.

Over the years, Arroyo has come under fire for issues surrounding gambling.

Arroyo won the special election for her council seat in 2005 after her predecessor, Jose M. Serrano, jumped to the New York State Senate. She easily won election to a full term in 2005, and reelection in 2009 and 2013.

In 2013, it was found that individuals who worked on Arroyo's campaign in 2013 had forged petition signatures for ballot access in her reelection to council. Arroyo also came under fire for paying her son over $55,000 from her campaign account for a part-time advisory role.