Maria Cervania
2023 - Present
2025
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Maria Cervania (Democratic Party) is a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 41. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2025.
Cervania (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 41. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024. The Democratic primary for this office on March 5, 2024, was canceled.
Biography
Maria Cervania was born in Oakland, California. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Her professional experience includes working as a biostatistician and consultant; a project manager and business improvement specialist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Blind Services, Early Childhood Intervention, and Disability Determination Services; a cross-program improvement specialist and performance management analyst for Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Child Care Licensing, Prevention and Early Intervention, and Statewide Intake; a program specialist and statistician for the Maternal & Child Health Bureau; a research project manager in the Office of Court Administration; and a research associate/epidemiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the School of Public Health's epidemiology and biostatistics departments.[1]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Cervania was assigned to the following committees:
- Appropriations Committee
- House Appropriations on Health and Human Services Committee
- Energy and Public Utilities Committee
- Health Committee
Elections
2024
See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41
Incumbent Maria Cervania and Matthew Laszacs are running in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Maria Cervania (D) | |
 | Matthew Laszacs (L) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Maria Cervania advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Matthew Laszacs advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
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2022
See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41
Maria Cervania defeated Bruce Forster and Kevin Terrett in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maria Cervania (D) | 63.9 | 24,096 |
| Bruce Forster (R) | 33.5 | 12,629 | |
| Kevin Terrett (L) | 2.6 | 970 | |
| Total votes: 37,695 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Travis Groo (L)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Maria Cervania advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Bruce Forster advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Travis Groo advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 41.
Campaign finance
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Wake County, North Carolina (2020)
General election
General election for Wake County Board of Commissioners District 3
Maria Cervania defeated Steve Hale in the general election for Wake County Board of Commissioners District 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maria Cervania (D) | 60.6 | 364,737 |
 | Steve Hale (R) | 39.4 | 237,605 | |
| Total votes: 602,342 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wake County Board of Commissioners District 3
Maria Cervania defeated Audra Killingsworth in the Democratic primary for Wake County Board of Commissioners District 3 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maria Cervania | 59.9 | 96,495 |
| Audra Killingsworth | 40.1 | 64,558 | |
| Total votes: 161,053 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Steve Hale advanced from the Republican primary for Wake County Board of Commissioners District 3.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Maria Cervania has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Maria Cervania asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Maria Cervania, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
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2022
Maria Cervania did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Maria Cervania completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cervania's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Wake County needs a Commissioner who has the background and experience that is needed to face the many issues that we are struggling with today. My community, professional and life experience has prepared me to be the best choice in this race.
My education is the foundation of a 20-year career in Public Education, Public Health and Government. My undergraduate degree from Berkeley is in Integrative Biology and Physical Education. My graduate work is in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
Pertinent to the times, I worked in planning and crisis management during the • early HIV/AIDS epidemic; • Chicago Heat Wave; • H1N1 Influenza (Avian Flu) Pandemic.
My experience also includes technical consultation to State, County and Local governments during the Early 2000s Recession and the Great Recession (2007-2009). This was all done keeping in mind the need to preserve as many jobs as possible, save taxpayer dollars and maintain the highest service levels for the people in our communities.
As a balance, I have dedicated my life outside my professional career as a community organizer to support people who do not have a voice get more engaged and bring forth positive change. From advocating for affordable housing, public transit, fair elections, and environmental sustainability to speaking out for the rights of people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ and everyone in our community, my commitment to all for these and many other causes has been life-long and enduring.
- PROTECTING WAKE COUNTY FROM COVID-19 and IMPROVING OUR HEALTH
- BALANCING OUR COUNTY'S NEEDS WITH THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
- PLEDGING TO THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF LIFE
COVID-19 and OUR HEALTH
- Optimize our COVID-19 response to accelerate recovery especially in our minority communities.
- Address the barriers that limit access to health care, and support residents who experience health challenges especially in crisis and mental health services and substance abuse treatment.
OUR ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
- Identify operational redundancies and efficiencies; and strive for cost-conscious budgets.
- Increase transparency and accountability to ensure that our tax dollars are going to good use.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
- Recruit, retain, and support educators and administrators; school psychologists, social workers, nurses, and mental health professionals; school bus drivers; and all non-certified school staff.
- Fund school construction; digital resources; school safety; universal Pre-K; school lunch programs; Art, Music, Physical Education and STEM; and Early College.
JUSTICE AND EQUITY FOR ALL
- Require law enforcement to have a specific, demonstrable proactive plan that combine public safety and civil rights protections.
- Establish a Civilian Review Board.
- Conducting a regular Community Survey.
- Require use of body-worn cameras.
HIGHEST QUALITY OF LIFE
I have and continue to advocate for:
- Environmental protection; sustainability, and parks, open space, and greenways.
- Affordable housing; Wake County Transit Plan, and balanced growth.
I look up to my parents. They were born during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. My mother and her family had to go deep in hiding in the countryside; they hid in race paddies, trees, and caves. During that same age, my father joined the Philippine Army, then the United States Navy.
When the war was over, all my mother wanted to do was go to college. She was in a patriarchal family and was told that there would be no support to furthering her education. This did not stop her; she was accepted at a prestigious college, graduated with an accounting degree, and built a wonderful career with the National Water Service.
At the same time, my father grew a successful and rich military career and fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
They met, got married and decided to settle in the United States; this is when their lives drastically changed. Even with everything they accomplished, they were not received well in America; they had to start from scratch. During that time, it was the 1960's, so they had to push against racial and gender tensions. My father had to use segregated facilities and sit at the back of a bus while he was in full-service uniform, and my mother had to turn beds at a Holiday Inn because no company would recognize her degree. It did not break them, and the reason why, I believe, they did not break was because of their foundation of perseverance and believe that all things are possible. That foundation builds my foundation which I follow every day.
Corazon Aquino's Speech before the Joint session of the United States Congress (delivered September 18, 1986)
By the sheer will of the people of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino became the President of the country after the slaying of her husband, political activist and Senator Benigno Aquino, and after thousands of Filipinos peacefully overthrowing the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. She has become an inspirational and iconic leader of Democracy.
It goes beyond the position; an elected official, ideally, needs to learn to become a leader.
A leader must be someone a community can trust. This person should inspire all of us to work together to reach common goals. The person should be authentic, mindfulness and transparent. He or she must be a good listener, communicator, and relationship builder.
The value and importance of service was instilled in me at an early age.
My focus has been to help people find solutions for issues that they face. Encourage them in knowing that what they are fighting for is important. Have their voices heard. Connect people together to get to the outcome they want to achieve.
Elected officials must help each other and the public stay focused on the future and on the common goals of the community. There will always be occasions when elected officials differ among themselves. The true mark of taking responsibility is the ability to handle the differences that the body is experiencing to find consensus, move the agenda forward, and have an environment of mutual respect that makes progress possible. Because of the pandemic, the Board of Commissioners will be facing difficult decisions in the coming years especially when it comes to our public health and economic struggles. If the board keeps to these core responsibilities, our county will be able to maintain its commitment to the highest quality of service and life in Wake County.
San Francisco politics predominated on the news when I was a young person. During the 1977 Election, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors made history: Gordon Lau was the first Chinese American, Elle Hill Hutch was the first African American woman, and Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to the board.
It was what happened to the board in 1978 that was the first historical event that was significant to me; it was when Supervisor Dan White assassinated Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone (and intended to slay Supervisor Carol Ruth Silver and Assemblyman Willie Brown). That event affected me so profoundly and still does to this day; it is part of the foundation of why I am a community activist, and what drives me to seek equity and peace in our community.
On my 15th birthday, I went to the mall with a briefcase and a stack of resumes in hand (with a list of my non-paid experience to that date) and got hired at a fast-food restaurant called One Potato Two. Within two months, I received a promotion as an Assistant Manager. It was the best first job; we had a great team and we were in the middle of the hustle and bustle of our town's most popular gathering place. Because of time constraints, I transitioned to working at the Navy Exchange on the nearby military base after a year and a half.
These last two songs are stuck in my head:
A Million Dreams by P!nk
"A million dreams is all it's gonna take.
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make." #vote
and
Underdog by Alicia Keys
"So I sing a song for the hustlers trading at the bus stop
Single mothers waiting on a check to come
Young teachers, student doctors
Sons on the frontline knowing they don't get to run
This goes out to the underdog
Keep on keeping at what you love
You'll find that someday soon enough
You will rise up, rise up, yeah."
The Wake County Board of Commissioners is the governing board for Wake County. It comprises of seven Wake County Commissioners, and it enacts policies such as:
- establishment of the property tax rate;
- regulation of land use and zoning outside municipal jurisdictions; and
- adoption of the annual budget, which largely includes Public Education, Human Services and Public Safety.
The board also establishes county policies by adopting resolutions and local laws (ordinances).
Counties were given authority to consolidate human services under the direct oversight of the county board of commissioners and the county manager.
Commissioners are not the sole policy makers in county government. Because the Sheriff and Register of Deeds are also elected officials, they have independent authority to adopt specific policies for their departments.
School boards are separately elected by the citizens and have responsibility for education policies and setting the school system's budget. None of these other local boards have the power to tax citizens. That authority rests solely in the purview of the board of
county commissioners.
In addition, several independent or nearly independent local boards have responsibility for such areas as alcoholic beverage control, elections, mental health, public health, and social services. These boards appoint directors and have the authority to make local policies.
Yes, it is beneficial to have experience in government or politics, but this experience can be developed in several ways. Great ways to build a foundation of experience is to:
- get involved in school by running for student body government, competing in speech and debate, or joining an activism association.
- volunteer for a political campaign or intern with an elected official.
- join a political party.
- acquire a job in Federal, State, County or Municipal government.
- serve on a community board or commission.
• Communication:
o Listen - Gaining an understanding and accurately interpreting what others are saying has helped create the foundation to organize and express my thoughts.
o Verbal - From speaking one-on-one to presenting on stage to thousands of people, my strong verbal communication has been essential in articulating thoughts clearly.
o Written - Be it sending emails, communicating with the public or delivering information through digital means, it is important to me to communicate quickly, accurately and effectively.
• Teamwork and Collaboration - Building relationships and collaboration has been the foundation of working well together and bring out the best in each other.
• Leadership - Motivating others to do their best work and succession planning by identifying and developing new leaders are what I strive for in achieving true leadership.
• Professionalism - Respecting the position of my colleagues, staff, community partners, stakeholders, and, most importantly, constituents, is the most important skill to have in the position.
• Adaptability - Knowing that times are constantly changing and evolving, it has been less about what I already know and more about adapting my skills. I use new information to respond to whatever is happening. I may be a teacher in some areas, but I believe that I am always a student who "learns, unlearns, and relearns."
• Crisis Management / Resilience / Agility - Experiencing a setback or crisis is inevitable. My go-to steps have been to analyze the problem; rectify the situation in a reasonable manner; stay focused on the long-term goal; and handle the stress effectively.
• Global and Cultural Fluency - Interacting with people who are different from us provides the opportunity to develop global and cultural perspective. This means to respect diversity, and be open, inclusive, and sensitive to all people from different cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, political ideologies, and religions.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of North Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 25.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate North Carolina House of Representatives District 41 |
Officeholder North Carolina House of Representatives District 41 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 3, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gale Adcock (D) |
North Carolina House of Representatives District 41 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Jessica Holmes (D) |
Wake County Board of Commissioners District 3 2020-2022 |
Succeeded by Cheryl Stallings (D) |
