In a context where politics often becomes detached from real life, councilwoman and RenovaBR leader Marina Bragante attempts to point in the opposite direction. A mother of triplets and a centrist voice in the São Paulo City Council, she uses listening to and connecting with the population to propose changes. 

Her entry into politics was motivated by a desire to contribute to reducing inequalities. Over time, this motivation unfolded into a broader agenda, which today revolves around issues of care, sustainability, and public safety, with a keen eye on women, mothers, and children. 

Along with other parliamentarians, she brings the topic of early childhood to the debate. “Children don't finish facing life's challenges at six years old. And the public authorities must continue to find solutions for them, for adolescents, and for those who care for them,” she states. For her, developing public policies requires continuity and responsibility at all stages of life. “Care is what makes us human and what can make a difference in the city.”

Care, childhood and listening

Marina defines herself as a city councilor who is more centrist, but not neutral, without automatically aligning herself with the state government's base or the opposition. Her stance is aligned with dialogue as the driving force behind her work.

“My priority is dialogue with the people. My life reflects little of what happens in the city, so I have to be constantly talking to people,” he explains.

Even while acknowledging frustrations – such as not having passed any bills in her first year in office – she sees the value in the space she occupies. “Precisely because I am a centrist councilwoman, who dialogues with both the Executive branch and the opposition, I consider that I have assumed an important space in the City Council. Negotiating projects that sometimes went against my vision for the city, but weighing where the legislation could be improved,” she states. 

For Marina, the Legislative branch requires a change of perspective. Unlike the Executive branch, where she has already served as secretary twice, the impact is more indirect and necessarily involves collective action.

Dialogue has been a bridge on sensitive issues. In addressing femicide, for example, Marina reports important progress within the Chamber. “I’ve seen many male colleagues engaging with the issue and trying to understand their role in it. It’s a very relevant space for collaboration in the Legislature,” she explains. 

Policies that look to the present and the future.

According to her, during her term, there is a convergence between care and the future. On the climate agenda, the councilwoman is the author of initiatives that seek to prepare the city for the impacts already underway. 

One example is Bill 344/2025, which proposes replacing parking spaces with green areas, contributing to the reduction of urban heat islands. 

Furthermore, the PL ECOA – Schools with Climate Adaptation – is currently underway, developed in conjunction with the climate caucus, and aims to provide assistance and preparation so that schools are able to deal with extreme events related to the climate crisis, protecting children's development. 

This agenda also connects with mobility and dignity in childhood. The children's single ticket project, aimed at children aged 0 to 6, seeks to address a common reality at public transport turnstiles: guaranteeing safe and dignified access from the earliest years of life.

More women, new ways of doing politics.

Her work also reinforces the need for female presence in decision-making spaces, whether political or not. For her, it's not just about representation, but about concrete transformation in politics. 

“The issues that reach us are very often connected to life purpose. This makes us see politics in a different way, beyond the struggle for power, but understanding that power serves the social transformation that we want for the city,” he comments. 

In an environment that can sometimes be hostile, having more women around makes all the difference. "Having that understanding gaze changes everything," she says. Furthermore, she emphasizes that it helps to identify and confront gender-based political violence, which is often still made invisible. 

In this sense, the creation of the Women's Prosecutor's Office in the São Paulo City Council, the result of a long struggle by female councilors, marks an important step forward. As Deputy Prosecutor, Marina works on developing protocols against harassment, campaigns to combat gender-based political violence, and partnerships with the municipal protection network.

Photo: Bob Fonseca