In a city that has undergone an unprecedented demographic shift, Latinos are vying for a piece of the political power.
By Mario Teran
The city of Boston is now comprised of 20% of residents who identify themselves as “Latino” or “Hispanic”. That’s one out of every five.
The Boston public schools’ largest group of students is the Latino block with over 43%.
Yet, despite these powerful statistics, there is not a single Latino sitting on the City Council, the city’s main governing body.
“We need to change that. We can actually triple that by bringing three people to city hall in this election”, says Alejandra St. Guillen, one of three Latinos vying for seats in this year’s race.
Julia Mejia, and Ricardo Arroyo are the other two candidates looking for seats on the 13 member council.
Julia, Alejandra, and Ricardo are not directly competing with each other as Ricardo is running for a district seat, while there are four at-large seats available.
“We are not competing with each other. This is an incredible opportunity for us to make history by voting for three Latinos and giving our community a very strong voice at a very important time,” explains Mejia.
“It’s very important because at this moment our community hasn’t had a progressive Latino voice in the city council for the last 6 years and with so many pivotal things going on – we’ve got a transportation crisis, an education crisis and a housing crisis all at the same time, – we deserve to have a voice at the table”, adds Arroyo.
The Boston City Council approves the budget, holds hearings on legislative proposals, monitors City agencies, advocates on behalf of city residents, and can subpoena persons to testify at City hearings. It consists of four at-Large councilors, and nine district councilors.
Councilors are elected by the people every two years, and there are no term limits.
There have never been any Latinas on the City Council and the last Latino to serve was Felix G. Arroyo (Ricardo’s brother) in January of 2014.
Here is a brief background on each and a look into their respective campaigns.
Alejandra St. Guillen
Alejandra was born and raised in Mission Hill and is of Venezuelan and Canadian descent. She graduated from Boston Latin School and began her career as a public school teacher in New York City and Boston.
She then served as the Director of ¿Oiste?, Latino Civic & Political Organization which promoted economic justice and electoral reform public policy initiatives and ran civic education and political training programs.
Most recently, Alejandra served as the Director of the City of Boston’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, where she spearheaded new initiatives, including the Boston #toimmigrantswithlove Public Art Project and the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund.
Alejandra is considered a front runner in the crowded at-large race and has raised the most money for non-incumbents.
She has raised just under $115,000, which is very impressive for a first-time candidate.
Alejandra has key endorsements which include Mayor Marty Walsh, SEIU 32BJ District 615, Boston City Council At-Large Michelle Wu and the Mass Women’s Political Caucus.
Alejandra’s policy areas include education, immigration, and affordable housing. https://www.alejandraforboston.com/
Julia Mejia
Julia Mejia is also a graduate of Boston Public Schools. From the Dominican Republic, she migrated to the United States at a very young age and learned first hand the challenges and struggles of being an immigrant.
She created a civic engagement voter registration group and is well known for her at the Collaborative Parent Leadership Network (CPLAN), an organization she also founded.
CPLAN is composed of parents and students from the district, charter, parochial and METCO schools and advocates for policies that provide equal access to high-quality education for all children.
Previously, Julia was a Director of Family and Community Engagement at the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. If elected to the council, Julia would be the first immigrant woman councilor.
While her name is new to many voters, Julia has emerged as one of the stronger candidates in the race. She has raised close to $90,000. Key endorsements include State Representatives Liz Miranda and Nika Elguardo, SEIU 32BJ and JP Progressives.
Julia’s campaign site highlights a diverse set of issues she wishes to take on as councilor, including substance abuse and public safety, education and youth engagement and affordable housing. https://www.juliaforboston.com/
Ricardo Arroyo
Of Puerto Rican descent, Ricardo Arroyo emanates from one of Boston’s well known political families. His father Felix Arroyo sr. is the current register of Probate of Suffolk District Court and his brother, Felix G. Arroyo previously held an at-large seat.
Therefore, while it’s his first time running for the council, Ricardo’s network will offer significant wisdom and political experience to minimize the learning curve if he were to be elected.
Nonetheless, Ricardo intends to carve his own name in Boston’s political arena and make a strong positive impact on behalf of constituents.
Ricardo’s background includes attending from Boston’s Public Schools, earning a law degree and working as a public defender. He also sits on the board of the National Lawyers Guild Massachusetts Chapter and is a member of the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, NAACP, and Mijente.
Ricardo is in the most contested district race with seven other candidates vying for the seat, two of which have previously run for the position.
However, Ricardo hopes to benefit from an early start, announcing his candidacy before anyone else and before current District 5 councilor, Tim McCarthy decided not to run.
Ricardo’s key issues include supporting small businesses, education, affordable housing and making the district an attractive place to live for young professionals.
Ricardo’s fundraising record is also impressive raising $83,000, leading all-district five candidates.
Key endorsements include the Boston Teachers Union, State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Representative Jon Santiago and Boston City Council At-Large Michelle Wu. https://ricardoarroyo.com
Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday, September 24th – Primary election
Tuesday, November 5th – General election
About the Boston City Council
The Boston City Council consists of 13 members: four at-Large councilors, and nine district councilors. Each of the nine districts holds approximately equal populations. Councilors are elected every two years, and there are no term limits. Councilors approve the budget, hold a hearing on legislative proposals, monitor City agencies, advocate on behalf of city residents, and can subpoena persons to testify at City hearings.
Lea este artículo en español https://staging.elmundoboston.com/politica-al-rojo-vivo-elecciones-primarias-este-martes-24-de-septiembre-tres-candidatos-latinos-cambiarian-la-cara-de-boston
