A familiar name, but less familiar face, has joined the Rochester City Council.

We had the chance to speak to Felicia Astacio, the sister of former City Court Judge Leticia Astacio, on her bid for City Council.

In her first interview since announcing her candidacy, the mother of four young children says she’s running for City Council to advocate for children, bridge the gap between the community and police, and to revamp Rochester’s east district. She is a licensed day care provider who runs her business out of her home, and has been working in child care for 10 years.

"I live here and I am passionate about it. For a living I have to advocate for children who don’t use language to communicate, so I bring them into my home," Felicia Astacio said. "I manipulate my environment to make sure they can succeed. I bring them into my family and I feel like that would qualify me for this position.”

The Monroe County Board of Elections confirmed that both Leticia and Felicia Astacio stopped by their office Monday to get walking lists of registered Democratic voters. Leticia is said to be considering a run in the northwest district for City Council. We asked Felicia Astacio if her sister, who was removed from the bench last fall and is still facing a criminal trial, intends to run for a seat.

“My candidacy has nothing to do with her – this interview is totally separate and what I want to do is totally separate," Felicia Astacio said.

The east district is currently represented by Elaine Spaull, who said earlier this year that she would not seek re-election. In February, the Monroe County Democrats endorsed candidate Mary Lupien for the seat. Petition signatures are due on April 11, according to the New York State Board of Elections, and should both Democratic candidates qualify for the ballot, they will face off in a primary on June 25.

Astacio said she welcomes the challenge, adding that Rochester is heading in the right direction and she wants to be part of that change.

"It’s obvious the city is being renovated and it’s kind of changing right in front of our eyes and I want to be a part of that change," Astacio said. "I think that my voice is important and it doesn’t matter if I don’t have a political background — I actually think that makes me a better candidate.”

This Saturday, both Felicia and Leticia Astacio are slated to be in the Portland Avenue area for a meet-and-greet, and also asking for petition signatures.