Jimenez Answers Call To Duty

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by Thomas MacMillan | Jan 12, 2009 4:01 pm

(5) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Immigrants, International

With his resume as a leader of New Haven’s burgeoning Ecuadorian community, Dixon Jimenez seemed like a shoo-in for a prestigious post back in his native land. If only the mail had arrived on time.

On Christmas Day, Jimenez got word of a new opportunity, the chance to return to Ecuador as a government official.

Jimenez was notified of the possibility of joining a council established by the recently adopted Ecuadorian Constitution. The new seven-member “Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control” is charged with monitoring the function of the other branches of the government.

He scrambled to assemble all the necessary paperwork and and take an aptitude test within a week. But the material arrived too late for Jimenez from to be considered for the position.

While he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of continuing his pursuit of a government post, the community leader has turned his attention to the next organizing initiative: registering Ecuadorians in Connecticut to vote in the upcoming Ecuadorian elections.

Overdressed For Soccer

Over the past year, Jimenez, who’s 30, has emerged as a leader of New Haven’s growing Ecuadorian community. He helped to found and serves as secretary for Virgen del Cisne, the new Haven Ecuadorian group that has organized adult and youth area soccer leagues. Jimenez led an initiative to raise money for flood victims in Ecuador. He was instrumental in the recent creation of New Haven’s Ecuadorian consulate.

Over peppermint tea at Atticus Bookstore, Jimenez explained how the council appointment process works. In addition to taking a test on Ecuadorian history and current events, applicants are given points for civic and community leadership and participation. The seven applicants with the most points win seats on the council.

Paging through stacks of highlighted paperwork, Jimenez explained that by his own point calculations, he would have been among the top candidates. He estimated that he would have had the best score out of the eight applicants living in the United States and among the highest of all 23 of the expatriate applicants. But his record of accomplishments didn’t arrive in Ecuador by the deadline.

He heard of the opportunity on Christmas and had only about a week to take the test and send in all his papers.

To be disqualified because of a mail delay was disheartening. “Personally, I don’t feel good,” he said in Spanish.

Searching for the right analogy, he described his situation as that of a soccer player who shows up to play a big game without the proper equipment. It wasn’t a level playing field, he explained. Without his paperwork, he was wearing a suit and tie while the other players were in shorts and cleats.

A Great Hunter

The opportunity to serve as a council member would have been a continuation of Ecuadorian civil service for Jimenez. Before moving to Connecticut five years ago, Jimenez worked as the treasurer for the Ecuadorian municipality of Puerto Quito. He was president of the employees’ union.

Since moving to Connecticut, Jimenez has been working restaurant and construction jobs. He currently lives near Saint Raphael Hospital and has been unemployed for the last four months.

He was motivated to pursue the council position by a desire to serve his country, he said. “This was a call from the fatherland,” Jimenez said. “I can’t say no.”

“Imagine that you are a great hunter,” Jimenez explained, holding up an imaginary rifle. “If there is a huge animal to be hunted, you can’t simply sit back and leave it to someone else to kill it. “I couldn’t sit and do nothing.”

Jimenez is already looking forward to the next project. He held up a flyer for a voter registration drive that he is working on. He wants to make sure that all the Ecuadorians in Connecticut vote in the upcoming Ecuadorian national elections, in April.

“I’m always trying to do more,” Jimenez said. “I can’t live alone, uninvolved.”

“The people need someone to grab the flag and say ‘Let’s go!’” Jimenez explained.

Jimenez plans to continue to work for the Ecuadorian community here in Connecticut, but ultimately he will return to Ecuador to be with his young son, Elian.

Asked if he would ever consider running for political office in New Haven, Jimenez quoted 19th century Cuban leader Jose Marti: “The true man does not look at which side lives better, but on which side duty lies.”

“In other words,” Jimenez said, “I will be where God wants.”

Comments

posted by: John John on January 12, 2009 7:04pm

You know what, if the guys is so freaking important in ecuador, he should be in ecuador. If he’s truly enjoys being here in the U.S., then he should work towards his citizenship and get people to vote here.
I’m not impressed with someone who chooses to take from two worlds and refuse to commit to one.

posted by: True New Havener on January 13, 2009 7:48am

Hey John John,

There are millions of residents of our great country who maintain strong connections to other countries. When the economy picked up in Ireland, lots of Irish residents went back home. Plenty of folks from other lands work here, or go to school here, or think they may want to live here forever and then become homesick. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Yale even has a whole dorm full of such folks.

The great family that created and ran Anna Liffey’s decided they wanted to raise their kids in Ireland—good for them. They built a successful business, created jobs, and a New Haven institution, then wanted to leave even though they remained fans of the US.

Give the guy a break. He seems to care about both places and New Haven certainly needs people who care.

There are millions more residents who want to become US citizens and work hard towards that end. And many who have no path to do so.

Its not clear to me why any of this causes you such great concern.

posted by: Dixon fan on January 13, 2009 2:31pm

Thanks, Dixon, for all you do for the community, and I hope things go well for you with your next projects, whatever you choose to do.

posted by: fedupwithliberals on January 15, 2009 7:43am

TRUE NEW HAVENER

The Irish didn’t engage in agitprop while they visited America. If this guy cares so much about his situation in the US, he can use some of his boundless energy and time to learn the language and getting documented instead of controlling local politics in a country he has no citizenship in nor any desire to engage in a path to citizenship. ...

posted by: Dixon Jimenez on January 17, 2009 2:26pm

New Haven, January 16 2009

Mr. Paul Bass.
EDITOR OF NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
New Haven, Connecticut

Dear Paul,

I really appreciate your collaboration with the Ecuadorian community “Virgen del Cisne” in all our initiative for integrate to this growing community.

In this occasion I will refer to the report with the title JIMENEZ ANSWER CALL TO DUTY, by Thomas MacMillan, January 12 2009. I would like to clear the following:

I felt that opportunity was a called from my country, when I red the public convocation to participate as member of the first Council of Citizen and Participation of Social Control (They representative the population, not the government).

My entire document did not arrive late. The Consulate Office of the Ecuadorian in Connecticut gave me all their help. I think that the problem was in Ecuador when they received the information (electronically, by e-mail).

We (Ecuadorian Community “Virgen del Cisne” of New Haven) are collaborating with the Government Initiative of Ecuador a trough of the all Ecuadorian Consulates around the world, in the campaign for voter-registration Ecuadorians in the state of Connecticut will vote in the upcoming Ecuadorian elections.

I would like that in this campaign all the Ecuadorian citizen should be participate.

I’m 36 years old. The Committee of the Ecuadorian Community “Virgen del Cisne” led initiative to raise money for flood victims in Ecuador and I was the Coordinator of the action center number 8 in this city, in coordination with the Consulate of Ecuador in New York.

Sincerely,

Dixon Jimenez

New Haven Independent

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