Keeping Ourselves On The NY Political Stage
By Gerson Borrero
It's hard to believe that in 2009 Latinos in New York City do not have a candidate running for Mayor, Comptroller or Public Advocate. These are the three citywide offices that New Yorkers will vote for on the third of November.
And that infuriates me.
Our comunidad accounts for almost 30 percent of the Big Apple’s more than eight million people.
We have elected Puerto Ricans and some Dominicans – all of them Democrats – to the U.S. Congress, to the State’s Senate and Assembly, to the City Council and the presidency of one of the five Boroughs.
In 2005, we even had a Mayoral candidate nominated by the Democrats.
Even though our Gallo did not beat the incumbent billionaire Mayor, you would think that, if not for the same office, we would at least have run a Puerto Rican /Latino for Comptroller or Public Advocate this year.
But no such candidate materialized.
As a matter of fact, if last Tuesday’s Mayoral debate had not been at El Museo Del Barrio and activists had not held a press conference in East Harlem, Latinos and our issues for the most part would have gone unnoticed in these municipal elections.
Our elected officials, activists, business and community leaders can not let this ever happen again.
With the increasing presence of Central and South American hermanos y hermanas, we are the largest and ever-growing ethnic group in New York, we can not let others speak for us.
We must always be on the City’s political stage.
So, let the planning for 2013 begin, ahora mismo.
That’s the way I see it.
Let us know what you think:
By Gerson Borrero
It's hard to believe that in 2009 Latinos in New York City do not have a candidate running for Mayor, Comptroller or Public Advocate. These are the three citywide offices that New Yorkers will vote for on the third of November.
And that infuriates me.
Our comunidad accounts for almost 30 percent of the Big Apple’s more than eight million people.
We have elected Puerto Ricans and some Dominicans – all of them Democrats – to the U.S. Congress, to the State’s Senate and Assembly, to the City Council and the presidency of one of the five Boroughs.
In 2005, we even had a Mayoral candidate nominated by the Democrats.
Even though our Gallo did not beat the incumbent billionaire Mayor, you would think that, if not for the same office, we would at least have run a Puerto Rican /Latino for Comptroller or Public Advocate this year.
But no such candidate materialized.
As a matter of fact, if last Tuesday’s Mayoral debate had not been at El Museo Del Barrio and activists had not held a press conference in East Harlem, Latinos and our issues for the most part would have gone unnoticed in these municipal elections.
Our elected officials, activists, business and community leaders can not let this ever happen again.
With the increasing presence of Central and South American hermanos y hermanas, we are the largest and ever-growing ethnic group in New York, we can not let others speak for us.
We must always be on the City’s political stage.
So, let the planning for 2013 begin, ahora mismo.
That’s the way I see it.
Let us know what you think:
