Realtors ® Q&A Meet the Decision Makers

Realtors ® Q&A Meet the Decision Makers

ASSEMBLYWOMAN & DEPUTY SPEAKER Yvonne Lopez

Welcome to our series, Meet the Decision Makers, where we interview key decision makers on their influential role within New Jersey. For this issue, we have Assemblywoman & Deputy Speaker, Yvonne Lopez. Her verbatim responses are italicized below. Do you have an idea of someone you’d like to see us interview? Email editor@njrealtor.com

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in public service?

Public service has always been a significant part of my life. Whether in corporate grantmaking, professional development, and most recently nonprofit management, I understood the importance of giving back to the community. My first foray in an official capacity was serving as a member of the North Brunswick Zoning Board, where I saw firsthand the importance of local decision making and the profound impact this work had on residents. From there I was asked to serve as a State Democratic Committeewoman and subsequently had the honor of being encouraged to run for the General Assembly, where I have proudly represented the 19th District for three terms. I see my role as an Assemblywoman as a privilege and always do my best to fight for the individuals I represent and to support and lead initiatives to make life better for hardworking New Jerseyans.

What does the job of the Chairwoman of the Housing Committee entail in the state of NJ?

We all deserve a safe and affordable place to call home and as Chairwoman of the Housing Committee, I lead the discussions and debate regarding housing policy in New Jersey. Housing in and of itself is a huge issue and my role is to parse through the hundreds of bills on the subject to consider the legislation that will have the greatest beneficial impact. I am blessed to have amazing colleagues on the committee who alongside work hard to move legislative initiatives, many of which ultimately become law. I feel honored to lead such an immensely important committee and to really understand the housing issues impacting so many stakeholders.

What have you been working on that would help the real estate market in NJ?

Understanding the importance of appraisals for prospective homeowners, I am proud of the work I have done to address the systematic racially motivated appraisal bias discovered by the Federal Government two years ago. The landmark report cited hundreds of thousands of cases of bias which spurred action in states across the country. Understanding that there are multiple sides to an issue, I worked to gather all the stakeholders to craft legislation that protects against bias but also works to strengthen the way we conduct appraisals in New Jersey. While I am still working on the legislation, I think we can all agree that bias has no place in the real estate market and when we make the system fairer it is a win for everyone involved.

What other issues have you been tackling in your role as Assemblywoman?

I am thankful to have been able to tackle a variety of issues as an Assemblywoman, chief among them the issue of childcare. As the former Executive Director/CEO of PRAHD, Inc. which operated a childcare center, I saw firsthand the difficulties many working parents faced in affording and identifying high quality childcare. The pandemic showed us among many things the importance of a viable childcare industry that our workforce heavily relies on to keep our economy running smoothly. I believe childcare should be a public good and have been doing my best to work on legislation that strengthens the industry and steers the conversation towards treating our childcare system like we do our public schools. An investment in childcare is a direct investment in a strong future for our children, the leaders of tomorrow.

What do you think is the most impactful piece of legislation you have worked on?

Over my terms in office, I have been fortunate to work on a variety of impactful issues, but this past month I had the honor of working on legislation to set New Jersey on a course to settle, plan and ultimately build more affordable housing for generations to come. A4, which was signed into law this past month represents a monumental shift in the state’s housing policy as we have created a fairer and more efficient process for municipalities to meet their constitutionally mandated affordable housing obligations. The bill, which I worked on for almost 1.5 years, is representative of a real compromise between advocates and municipal leaders alike and will certainly allow more families and people to live and thrive in the communities they love. Setting a policy that will be around for the next couple of decades is a huge accomplishment and to date is probably my proudest achievement.

TOP FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Does Central NJ exist?

Yes, it’s always existed, and I am proud to represent it.

2. Go-To Pizza Topping:

There’s nothing better than a classic cheese pie, but I do like pepperoni.

3. Pork Roll or Taylor Ham:

Taylor Ham

4. Favorite Sports Team:

Let’s go Giants!

5. Dead or Alive, who is someone you would want to meet?

Michelle Obama

Recently, New Jersey Realtors® held Candidate Training and asked our potential future decision makers these same questions.