Traditionally, the celebration of Memorial Day marks the start of the electoral phase. This year, the cities of Massachusetts renew the positions at the cities councils. It will be a chance for the voters to help shape the future orientation of the local governments.

In this important contest the Latino voters not only will have the opportunity to show their civil responsibility but also to prove the political power they have acquired and demonstrate their intelligence by selecting the most able candidates.
Now that we are initiating the campaign it is a good opportunity to reflect about the issues that can contribute to the education of our voters. Through the years, all the political campaigns have concentrated in motivating the Latinos to register and vote but little has been done to educate them about the importance of knowing the candidates, their experience, their programs and achievements and also the knowledge they have about the issues that concern and affect us.

And this leads us to another topic we must take into account. Among the Latino voters there is a belief that voting for one of the Hispanic candidates is the best guarantee of a fair government, one in tune with the needs of our community. “Our wine might be sour but it is our wine,” they say.

Unfortunately, experience teaches us that not always race is the best answer. There are enough examples in the country to show that there are Latino politicians who do not pay attention to the interests of their own communities. On the contrary, they often betray them to protect their own interests. Because of that, when the time comes to vote, before race we must demand competence, integrity and good conduct. Additionally, the elected officials must render accounts about their performance beyond their ethnicity and culture.

If the candidate is Latino that’s even better. Then we would have two major reasons to support him: because he/she is one of us and because he/she is the most competent.

Likewise, the Latinos also have the tendency to base the selection of the candidates on appearance and charisma. It is true that it’s important for our politicians to come closer to us during the electoral campaigns. Their presence in community and even private activities in the course of the year are a good indicator of their concern and good relation with the people. But besides that we must demand from them knowledge and proficiency in matters of the competency.

The problems that affect us are serious and we must find solutions for them. For instance, the housing crisis is a crucial topic in all the state’s cities. What initiatives are offering our candidates toward the creation of a program for affordable housing? What ideas do they have to stimulate the development of small businesses and the creation of new jobs? In cities like Lawrence, Lynn or Chelsea these are points of vital importance for the communities and none of the candidates should ignore them.

Finally, we have to reevaluate the issues on education. In spite of the fact that we continuously address the topics related to the importance of education, due to the lack of academic instruction of the Latino population, few Hispanics are interested in obtaining representation for their cities in the School Committee in this electoral campaign. Latino politicians in cities like Lawrence, for instance, prefer to run for positions at large or for the neighboring representations for city councils, which obviously are the most direct path to arrive to city hall and, apparently, are perceived as the more prestigious jobs.

Presently, the School Committee has only two Latinos among the eight members that conform that entity. In spite of the fact that this institution has been questioned due to its dull activity, among the Latinos there are no new hopeful candidates interested in these positions. Precisely, the absence of leadership in the educational field caused the loss of bilingual education in the city in last year’s elections.

Politics should be understood as a public service and not a way of social upgrading as understood by many of our politicians.

The campaign has just started, now is the time to take into account all these important considerations. It is the only guarantee for an educated vote. Don’t let the candidates fool you.