Latinos Push For a Voice

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by Melissa Bailey | Mar 30, 2006 12:45 pm

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Posted to: State

Before candidates for governor spoke at a first-ever debate on Latino issues, the room bustled with the chatter of 200 leaders from around the state. Their message: It’s high time Latinos got involved. “We feel that without actively participating in the political process, our voices can’t be heard,” said Frances Padilla (pictured), one of the event’s organizers.

Padilla’s group, the Progreso Latino Fund, hosted the debate Wednesday evening at the North Haven Holiday Inn as part of a series of forums designed to educate and empower Latinos.

“We need to have our elected officials weigh in on the issues that need to be addressed,” Padilla said.

More important, she hoped the evening would counter a trend of political disengagement. “I see a decline in political involvement in all communities. People feel disaffected,” she said. “They feel like their voice doesn’t matter.”

In Connecticut, there are 175,000 Latinos eligible to vote, but only 98,000 have registered. Roughly half of those show up at the polls —‚Äù a disappointing turnout, said Padilla. “We want the people who come here tonight to get charged up about going out and voting.”

At the same time, Latinos are the fastest-growing ethnic group in Connecticut. Officially about 10.5 percent of the state in the last census, they will grow to, by one estimate, 20 percent within two decades. The face of that community is changing, too. Puerto Ricans have dropped from 85 to roughly 50 percent of the Latino population, replaced by arrivals from Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

Various groups of Latino politicians and activists have made their influence felt in this year’s governor’s campaign. Wednesday’s debate was the latest example.

The mood in the room was certainly engaged: Audience members scribbled piles of index cards with questions for the candidates. While many slapped on endorsement stickers before the candidates spoke, others showed up just to hear the candidates out.

One of those, Enrique Marcano, is a new Latino face getting involved in Connecticut politics. In July, he was in the first graduating class of the Latino Civic Engagement Academy started last year to train aspiring Latinos on how to run for, and serve in, public office. Marcano is now a member of the Manchester school board. He said he hadn’t taken sides between Malloy and DeStefano, but wants to be engaged.

Marcano referenced a startling statistic: According to the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, 95 percent of its citizens are registered voters and 86 percent turn up to the polls. But when Puerto Ricans move to the mainland, only 40 percent even register to vote. “If we had the percentages and participation that we have in Puerto Rico and South America, we would be an awesome force to deal with,” said Marcano. Marcano owed his participation to his mentors: Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez and Luis Caban, who runs the Latino Civic Engagement Academy in Hartford.

Caban said the academy hasn’t endorsed a candidate. The academy, like Latino voters, doesn’t vote in a block, he said. “We’re non-partisan in terms of our empowerment. We’re brand loyal when it comes to products, not politics,” he said.

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