The Hispanic Roundtable, an influential group representing Hispanic interests in the Cleveland area, initially decided not to endorse Issue 5 or Issue 6. Its board members felt snubbed. The Roundtable’s leadership said neither group had consulted them until their plans were set so the Hispanic group initially adopted a stance of: a plague on both your houses.
FELICIANO: They did not want in any way to participate in this process because of the dissing they had gotten.
Lawyer Jose Feliciano chairs the Hispanic Roundtable. He says representatives from both issues got the message and started separate apologetic efforts to win the group over. In the end, it worked, and the Hispanic Roundtable opted to throw its weight behind New Cuyahoga Now. That’s the group proposing Issue 6, a charter that would immediately replace the current county government structure with an elected executive and council.
FELICIANO: I know that they are trying to do the right thing. This, to be sure, is not a perfect document. The constitution of the United States was not a perfect document and is not a perfect document. I do not think this new Cuyahoga plan will stay as it is, and that’s a good thing. But at this point of time, today, it clearly is the better choice.
Feliciano is also optimistic that Hispanics could win a county council seat on the West Side of Cleveland if 6 passes. Currently, they hold no county offices. But, like the black community, Hispanics are not all of one mind on the issue. Latino activist Hugo Urizar threw his support behind Issue 5—that’s the group that wants to study reform another year before acting. Urizar argues that the county executive would have too much power under Issue 6.