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Lorain, Jan. 22, 2012: The
race for the newly redrawn Lake Erie-bordering 9th
district seat (from Toledo to Cleveland) is heating up as new
local political officials and Latino leaders speak out and
publically endorse a candidate.
Several Cuyahoga County
Democratic leaders have recently endorsed U.S. Rep. Dennis
Kucinich (D-Cleveland), and several Democratic political
leaders from Lorain have endorsed U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur
(D-Toledo) this past Sunday. Toledo’s political leaders are
mostly expected to endorse Kaptur because of her ties to the
city.
DREAM Act
But many Latino leaders
throughout Cuyahoga, Lorain, and Lucas Counties are rooting
against Miss Kaptur because she voted “No” on the DREAM Act,
back in December of 2010. Mr. Kucinich voted in favor of the
same bill.
The bill proposed to grant
first residency and then citizenship to qualifying undocumented
youth brought to the U.S. as children, of good moral character,
and enrolled in a university/college or serving in the military
among other requirements.
Miss Kaptur has previously
said she voted against the DREAM Act because it singles out
Latino immigrants, and it does not solve all the immigration
issues. The bill would allow immigration officials to more
aggressively target the parents of those DREAMers. She said the
country does not need a “piecemeal” bill but instead needs
comprehensive immigration reform.
Six out of 10 Democrats
serving from Ohio including Kucinich voted in favor of the DREAM
Act in December of 2010. The other four Democrats including
Kaptur voted against it, and all eight Republicans from Ohio
voted against it. The bill passed in the House but then failed
in the Senate.
Kaptur’s reasons for
voting against the DREAM Act have failed to convince some Latino
leaders, with some noting that the bill’s wording targeted
all immigrant youth and not just Latinos.
Roberto Torres,
a former member of the Toledo School Board and current owner of
a Cleveland consulting firm, said he supports Kucinich because
of the congressman’s approval of the DREAM Act among other
reasons. Torres said he has known Kucinich since back when they
both attended Bowling Green State University, and has personally
witnessed how the congressman helped the Latino community in
Cleveland.
Torres said education is
an important issue for him; the large percentage of Latinos
dropping out of high school upsets him.
Torres said all young
people including the undocumented should have access to
education.
“The DREAM Act is an
opportunity,” Torres said “(Kucinich) supported the DREAM act,
and that to me shows he has a concern for our community.
That’s where the two candidates contrast.”
In response to those who
say the DREAM Act was a “bad legislation” Torres said
“legislation is never perfect. Somebody has to take the first
step that leads to education, and immigration reform. It’s a
place to start.”
On other issues:
Mr. Kucinich, 65, (D-10th
district) an 8-term congressman and former Cleveland mayor with
two unsuccessful runs for president, supports abortion rights,
is greatly antiwar condemning both the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars, and proposed laws for universal healthcare.
Miss Kaptur, 65, (D-9th
district) a 15-term congresswoman opposes federal funding of
abortions except for cases of rape or incest. She has also
opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because
she said it cost the U.S. jobs. She opposed the Iraq War, but
she supported the Afghanistan War.
Lorain city officials support Kaptur
At the opening of Kaptur’s
downtown campaign office at 642 Broadway, Lorain, Jan. 22, 2012,
several Lorain city officials announced they endorse her.
Lorain city officials
endorsing Miss Kaptur include: Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer, the
City Council President Joel Arredondo, Law Director Pat Riley,
Auditor Ronald L. Mantini, Treasurer Karen Shawver, and city
council members Eddie Edwards, Dennis Flores, Brian Gates, Dan
Given, Anne Molnar, Tony Richardson, Bret Schuster, and Myroslaw
“Mickey” Silecky.
Lorain officials said the
congressional redistricting by state Republicans prompted by new
Census numbers is unfair, and will force longtime friends Kaptur
and Kucinich to square off in the March 6 Democratic primary.
The new 9th district
stretches from Toledo to Cleveland to include parts of Cuyahoga,
Lorain, Ottawa, Erie, and Lucas counties. The city of Lorain
could be decisive because neither candidate has previously
represented it—Lorain also is 25-plus percent Latino.
Also running as a Democrat
for that seat is Graham Veysey, 29, of Cleveland.
Republican candidates for
the district include Steven Kraus of Huron and Samuel “Joe the
Plumber” Wurzelbacher of Springfield Township.
“Kaptur is a true advocate
for our community; She’s a pragmatic leader,” said Lorain Mayor
Chase Ritenauer. “She’s respected by her colleagues on both
(party) sides.”
Ritenauer said he endorsed
her because she has represented Toledo and parts of Lorain
County, and would best understand “what we see in our
neighborhoods; She understands the nuts and bolts of urban
issues.”
For many Lorain officials,
Kaptur’s seniority in Congress set her apart.
Lorain City Council
President Joel Arredondo and Ritenauer said Kaptur would
more likely than Kucinich bring back money to the county because
Kaptur is the second ranking Democrat on the House
Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for writing
annual federal appropriations or spending bills.
Ritenauer said Lorain has
received cuts in state funding, and her role on the powerful
committee would help secure funds for the county.
Lorain officials have said
the city needs to work on job creation and retention. Ritenauer
said Lorain needs funds for providing city services including
repairing roads and restoring vacant or derelict houses, and
improving the underdeveloped waterfront. He added he wants to
establish a Lorain County land bank, a proposal for dealing with
foreclosed homes.
Latinos make up 25.2 percent of the total population of Lorain
city
according to the 2010 Census, and issues on immigration and the
DREAM act are very important for many Latinos.
Ritenauer said he was not
aware of the details surrounding Kaptur voting against the DREAM
Act back in Dec. 2010, but said he stood by his decision of
supporting her.
“Sometimes these bills are
filled with so many things, and you can’t vote ‘yes’ on a
certain part and ‘no’ on another part,” Ritenauer said “But by
no means does she agree with the far right on immigration
issues.”
Ritenauer added “I’m
certain she’s supportive of all ethnicities and immigration.”
Arredondo said he agrees
with Kaptur that the DREAM Act does not fully deal with the
immigration issue.
“It doesn’t benefit our
population. The way it’s written is bad legislation,” said
Arredondo “It targets Latinos. There are more immigrants, not
just Latinos, in this country.”
Arredondo continued “We
have to do more than get a few crumbs thrown at us. The way the
legislation is now, there’s no way it will pass. They have to
rewrite it.”
Arredondo said Kaptur “She
brings a lot more to the table, has a great track record, and is
no stranger to the area.”
Lorain and other Latino leaders support Kucinich
But other Lorain officials
and Latino leaders have voiced their support for Kucinich.
Richard Romero,
a native of Lorain and a magazine director, said he supports
Kucinich because he appears to be more sincere about helping the
Latino community.
Romero said he like many
other Latinos are supporting Mr. Kucinich because he voted in
favor of the DREAM Act but also because “(Kucinich) takes pride
in speaking in Spanish, and has a staff that is reflective of
the community.” Romero noted that Mr. Kucinich’s staff has a
Latino member that is his Hispanic Liaison, Luis Gómez,
and has an African-American member.
“He’s the people’s
candidate. He’s a fighter for the people. He said he sees the
seat not as his but as the seat for the people,” Romero said.
Romero also responded to
Kaptur’s supporters who say her role in the Appropriations
committee gives her the advantage over Kucinich.
“People need to understand
who’s going to be there for the working class and the Latino
community,” Romero said “The fact that she voted against the
DREAM act, that’s inexcusable. Why say you would vote for her
because she sits on a powerful committee although she voted in a
way that hurts our community,” he said.
Romero added: “The DREAM
Act was not perfect but it was the first step.”
Romero said deporting “all
the 12 to 13 million undocumented immigrants” would be an
unrealistic goal and would greatly hurt the economy, as many of
those immigrants work in jobs that often other U.S. citizens
refuse to do.
He said “These immigrants
are here. Do you want them to not finish their education?”
Romero said instead of
shipping jobs overseas, “Let’s build a strong workforce and put
money into the country.”
The solutions to the
immigration issue continues to be a hot topic, and for many
Latinos the candidates’ views on immigration or the DREAM Act
could be their deciding factor when casting a vote.
Regardless of the
political party or candidate choice, Torres called upon all
Latinos, both citizens and the undocumented, to become organized
and vote.
“It’s our responsibility
to exercise the right that we have. Let’s vote for the person
that best represents our community,” Torres said.
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