Falio Leyba-Martinez is the first Afro-Latino of Dominican descent elected to the Camden City Council. He was born in Passaic, NJ, and relocated to Camden in 1996 when his parents purchased a small store in Centerville- Leyba Grocery. Twenty-nine years later, the store is still going strong. Leyba- Martinez grew up in the “BODEGERO” family of hardworking immigrants who worked 16- hour days to provide opportunities for Falio and his siblings. He started working at a young age to help his family, which helped guide him towards his position on the city council. He believes that everyone should have the opportunity to progress in life. Leyba-Martinez served as a Board Member of the Camden City School Advisory from 2019 to 2023. During this time, his passion for making the city a better place “FOR ALL” grew. He has supported several district initiatives, including a safe zone resolution to assure immigrant parents that it is safe to send their kids to school and that their personal information won’t be shared with ICE, Live board translations, and the recruitment of IMM Schools to name a few.
Remembering all the great memories and friends of playing baseball in Camden City; Holy Name Little League, Whitman Park Little League, also as a young adult playing Camden tristate team. Leyba- Martinez in 2019 helped restart the Little League baseball in Camden after years without this type of outlet for kids in the East Camden neighborhood. Today, the league has more than 160 youth involved. As a husband, proud father of two sons and a daughter, resident, and small business owner, Councilman Leyba-Martinez is invested in his community advocating for the residents, making sure their voices are heard and addressing the issues through policy.
