| Mercedes Olivera: Hispanic leaders say unity will aid redistricting 01/13/2001 By Mercedes Olivera / The Dallas Morning News Dallas' Latino leaders don't often agree unanimously on an issue.
But this week, many were saying they must unite to advance politically.
"We have to grow up as a community," Maricela Vargas said. "We have no time to waste."
Ms. Vargas is part of a Dallas coalition of about 100 business and community leaders and Latino elected officials working to present a unified front on the redistricting battles coming in the next two years.
Efforts to bring together Dallas' Latino leaders, with diverse political agendas, have always failed. But the lessons of the past might finally have taken hold.
"It's important that we all know who's doing what, so that we avoid duplication," Ms. Vargas said.
Members of the coalition, Latinos United for Redistricting, met for the first time this week and issued their first public statement, saying the group will sue local governments if redistricting efforts do not give Hispanics a fair chance at more elective offices.
The group wants to send a strong message to lawmakers who will redraw electoral districts based on census 2000 data, Ms. Vargas said.
Marcos Ronquillo, a Dallas lawyer who has expressed interest in running for political office, said any local or statewide task force on redistricting should be as inclusive as possible to have credibility among Hispanics.
The group is trying to be inclusive, too. The next meeting, at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, is open to the public.
Among those involved in the coalition are Hispanic Dallas City Council members, a trustee of the Dallas County Community College District, local attorneys and business owners.
"We're also including immigrant groups, who are often used for the count but usually have no voice," said Dr. José Angel Gutiérrez, a Dallas lawyer who was active in redistricting in 1990.
The group also will be working with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and the William J. Velasquez Research Institute in San Antonio.
The organizations will help provide technical assistance in redrawing districts based on the new census data.
Six coalition committees will monitor redistricting plans at the city, county, state, federal, school district and county community college district levels.
"We need to make structural changes at the local level," Dr. Gutiérrez said.
The community college district, for example, has seven seats. Dr. Gutiérrez said it should have nine. He said he would like to increase the number of Texas Senate seats from 31 to 40 or 50. Any such change would require legislative and voter approval.
And he said he thinks one of two new Texas congressional seats should be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which has experienced a large Hispanic population growth.
He acknowledged that Latinos in the Rio Grande Valley will challenge that push.
"The Valley has always lived on the notion that that's where the Latino vote is," he said. "Not anymore."
Actually, Latinos in Houston might also compete for the extra congressional seat, Dr. Gutiérrez said. Latinos from all three areas could dilute their own efforts.
"But we can't afford to fight each other," he said. "At least in this decade, we have to work together."
Mercedes Olivera can be reached at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265.
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