[NYAPRS Enews] GNS: Latino Groups Seek Larger Role in NYS Gov't, Urge Support for Nonprofits

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: The following details efforts by Latino organizations to
urge the Cuomo Administration to boost the role of Latinos in state
government. The groups' statement also included support for nonprofits,
urging the the Cuomo Administration to create an office within the
Executive Chamber to address the technical and funding needs of
struggling community based not-for-profit organizations. Their statement
went on to say "in under-served and underrepresented communities, the
need for services ranging from housing to child care and domestic
violence prevention to assistance for the disabled is considerably high.
The State does not have the ability to meet that high demand, and has
implicitly relied on the more than 50,000 not-for-profit and community
based organizations to meet that ever increasing need for social
services and other safety net programs. Many of the not-for-profits are
small and lack the necessary expertise to seek and access financial
support to sustain and increase their effectiveness and presence.
Hispanics and other ethnic minorities are a large segment of the
clientele served by these organizations, yet these same organizations
tend to be at the front line when cuts are implemented. Strengthening
their fiscal well being, providing them with the necessary tools to
navigate through countless regulations, bureaucratic processes, and
providing technical support would improve these organizations
sustainability and service outcomes." 

 

Latinos Seek Larger Role In Cuomo Administration

Jacob Fischler - Gannett Albany bureau December 7, 2010 

 

ALBANY - Latino organizations urged Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo on Monday to
consider several suggestions to improve the representation of Latinos in
state government.

"Gov. (Mario) Cuomo on several occasions said that when Hispanics fight
for better housing and when we fight for better education and when we
fight for better health care, we fight for all of New York," said
Guillermo Martinez, president of the Latino Society of New York, which
represents different Latino organizations.

"Today, with almost 4 million Latinos living in New York, those words
are more true then ever."

The Latino Society of New York, an organization made up of roughly 4,000
leaders of the Latino community, sent a position paper to Cuomo last
month with 12 suggestions that focused mainly on hiring Hispanics to
more important positions, such as commissioners and deputy commissioners
of departments.

Cuomo has named several Latinos to his transition team already, Martinez
said. The Rev. Al Sharpton criticized the transition team in early
November for its lack of diversity.

"Gov.-elect Cuomo has repeatedly said he will have one of the most
diverse administrations in history and that's exactly what New Yorkers
are going get," said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-Brooklyn.

"Gov.-elect Cuomo has an unparalleled record of fighting for minority
communities, both as secretary of Housing and Urban Development and then
as attorney general, and New Yorkers can be assured they will see the
same absolute commitment to fighting for all New Yorkers when he is
sworn in as our governor."

Hispanic groups held news conferences on the topic Monday across the
state.

According to Martinez, the first thing the Latino Society of New York
would like to see Cuomo do is enact an executive order that would
require affirmative action officers to report directly to agency heads.
Without it, the officers would have limited ability to make change, he
said.

The report on Monday came with some unwanted consequences, as Martinez
was relieved from his job as Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera's
legislative director. Rivera claimed that he had no knowledge that the
report was being released and that Martinez used many of Rivera's
proposals in the report.

"To mislabel my bills as a Latino agenda I think does me a disservice,"
Rivera said. "That's not necessarily a Latino agenda; that's a
legislative agenda I carried."

Martinez responded that, "I've never been told that I can't advocate for
my community because I have that job."

Several members of the Latino Society of New York suggested that there
are no fiscal implications in their suggestions, however four of the 12
points include creating a new position or agency.

Among the suggested creations is an agency to assist minorities starting
up businesses and a vice chancellor of diversity in the State University
of New York.

"If we are not present around the tables up here in the cold corridors
of the Capital District, then we will not have the type of impact that
we need to have on policies that our people and our community often ends
up being accustomed to it," said Dan Irizarry, former chairman of the
board for Hispanic Outreach Services.

The report also called for the Cuomo administration to "ban the use of
at-large elections in the more than 1,400 municipalities that currently
continue to use these discriminatory voting practices."

The report cited the recent legal battle in Port Chester, Westchester
County, over the voting rights of its Hispanic population.

http://rocnow.com/article/local-news/201012070328

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