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Pilar Ortiz, the chief of staff for the City of Boston’s Law Department, will challenge incumbent Elizabeth A. “Liz” Breadon for her spot in the next Boston City Council.

The two candidates will run for the 9th district seat, which represents the Allston-Brighton neighborhood.

Ortiz has called Brighton home since 2008, when she lived over the summer while studying at Boston College’s School of Management. As a nearly 20-year resident of the neighborhood, she said that Allston-Brighton is often forgotten — both as a part of Boston and in regards to city support systems.

“Realizing that there’s a very big disconnect in people’s understandings as to what this neighborhood is started to formulate in my head what is needed here,” she said. “And, seeing the fact that those needs weren’t being met.”

After graduation, Ortiz spent a decade in corporate marketing before beginning her government career as a volunteer for Michelle Wu ’07’s successful 2021 mayoral campaign. But Ortiz said that her interest in running for city council began far before she joined the campaign, when she was still in her early twenties.

“I first had the goal when I was 24, so 10 years ago, because I realized what the city council does, who they are, how they’re organized,” Ortiz said. “I realized that nobody within my demographic had really been reached out to by this group.”

Once elected, Wu hired Ortiz as an advisor and liaison to the city council. She eventually became the chief of staff to the city’s law department, which is responsible for handling lawsuits against the city and offering legal advice to the city’s administration.

“I had an incredible education there. I couldn’t have asked for a better job,” Ortiz said of her position. “I routinely say it’s my favorite job, just from the amount of responsibility and the respect for seeing how the sausage is made.”

But Ortiz said her time working with the city council showed her that the Brighton neighborhood “is not funded at the same level as others” — a problem she hopes to fix as a city councilor.

A spokesperson for Boston City Council did not respond to a request for comment on Ortiz’s complaints.

Ortiz decided to run to “make sure that every neighborhood is getting its due share,” challenging Breardon despite her “respect” for the five-year incumbent.

“It was actually very difficult to give her the call telling her that I was running, but I do think we need a stronger voice in our government,” Ortiz said.

As a councilor, Ortiz said will host more town halls and engage directly with residents, with the goal of encouraging young people to become more avid participants in government.

“A lot of times right now, opening up conversations with the community ends up being something that you see from like 9 to eleven a.m. during the work week — and most people are working during that time,” Ortiz said, adding that she will ensure “those opportunities are more diverse in the offerings.”

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Ortiz said she worried her candidacy would increase scrutiny on her family, who are in the United States on green cards. But she ultimately decided to run, stressing the importance of supporting residents amid heightened fears of deportation and detention.

“What I think we could be doing better is really making sure that we’re reaching out to the people who feel endangered by this, whether or not they’re directly impacted,” Ortiz said, adding that she wants to make “sure that these groups are aware of the resources around them.”

“I spoke to a young man last week who is part of an asylum situation, facing homelessness and a number of other factors. And he was completely unaware of all of the programs and benefits that are available by the city of Boston,” Ortiz said.

Even with the potential personal risks of her candidacy, Ortiz said she chose to run to bring her experiences — as a Brighton resident, a city hall employee, and a daughter of immigrants — to the city council.

“I’m taking this very seriously — not wanting to sacrifice my family’s well-being, while also making sure that I’m doing what I think is right for the community,” she said. “I think that is running.”

—Staff writer Angelina J. Parker can be reached at angelina.parker@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @angelinajparker.