A Letter to the Editor from my Archives

FROM my Archives

Letter to the Editor

“Filing deadline for city positions is Aug. 24^th.

“From the outside looking in”…another view!

First of all, one should applaud the Opinion of 7.28,2010 !

The observation made by the Editor that soon the city will be made up 0f 60% Hispanic residents seems to leave out the obvious.  One can guess that the majority of Hispanics are not registered and/or qualified to vote; add to this equation that not ALL citizens vote, a normal factor regarding voters regardless of background; and the future looks bleak for Hispanics in elected positions.  This was well demonstrated a few years ago when the county was redistricted to help achieve a better balance and candidates with Spanish surnames did not win.  People who have been appointed to the School Board have also failed to retain their seat and/or have not demonstrated the competence to attract “votes” when they most count.  Those in power have also not cultivated the idea of creating a diverse base.  The themes and observations made by the Editor seem to match the themes and observations made by this author over the last two decades.  This only underscores the need for some unconventional leadership development in Woodburn’s principal institutions; some regard this as looking outside the box.

SCHOOL SYSTEM a woman was recently appointed to a vacant board seat; something the board did not do when there were two positions opened not long ago; and not a “beep” from the community.  The board also failed to appoint someone from the school’s Site Councils.    It was sad and embarrassing that the local residents did not say much about the lack of reaction by the Hispanic Community.  It seems that “passivity” … “non-engagement”… and uninformed residents define the Hispanic Community.   

CITY GOVERNMENT Similarly to the school system, those in power need to review their business model and explore ways of expanding the base.  All one has to do is look at the employee profile and anyone understands the need for CHANGE.  One should not be surprised that political positions go uncontested. 

Bottom line, the diversity in the city and school district will continue to be used as leverage to get $$$$ and the leadership will not change much.  No budget or grant application misses the opportunity of using diversity to get the DOLLARS, but few ideas or programs are implemented to expand the leadership base. 

NUMBNESS can better describe the political landscape in the Woodburn area.  The Woodburn Independent Editor has made an observation/challenge that invites involvement and I applaud the directness and clarity.  The local newspaper also has a role in this, as it represents part of the city’s voice!  So, when can we expect to receive the news in “Espanol?” 

IF YOU CARE TO MAKE A COMMENT USE THE CONTACT PAGE…Thank you.

History annals found in common places do not have sufficient information written from a - personal perspective or the use of the first person singular.  In other words witness to the events or themes that are found in our website.  We invite dialogue that can help bridge more understanding of the Tex-Mex impact on Oregon. 

Thank you for visiting!

conAMISTAD

soyMIGUEL