Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra is the highest-elected Latino official attending either the Democratic or GOP national conventions.
It’s national political convention season in the U.S.A., which raises the question both in Connecticut and across the country: are Latinos being adequately represented on a percentage equal to their population at these conventions? You decide on the Connecticut delegations.
From Connecticut, of the 22 delegates to the GOP convention, one Latina delegate represents the state’s Latino interests at the Republican National Convention that wraps up tonight with Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech. In case, she can’t complete her duties – there is a Latina alternate.
Leora Levy, one of the at-large delegates, is of Cuban descent. She has served for the last year-and-a-half on the RNC National Finance committee, the Romney for President National Finance Committee and now, their successor, the Romney Victory Finance Committee. Leora is also currently serving on Linda McMahon’s Senatorial campaign finance committee and supports current candidates on the local, state and national level, organizing events and other means of support.
The Latina at-large alternate is Eva A. Maldonado, a 25-year veteran Stamford police officer and founder and past president of the Greater Stamford Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. A commissioner of the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, Maldonado, a Puerto Rican, is vice-chair for the Stamford Republican Town Committee and is a candidate for the State Assembly District 146.
On the Democrat side, seven Latinos, all delegates, will be traveling to Charlotte, N.C., next week as part of an 88-member delegation. The Connecticut Latinos traveling to Charlotte, N.C. for the Democratic convention are: Victor Diaz, Jose Melara, Anna E. Montalvo, Paul Nunez Jr., Carmen Reyes, Pedro E Segarra and Mildred Torres-Ferguson.
Pedro Segarra, as the Latino mayor of Hartford, is the highest elected Latino official in the delegation. Victor Diaz of Waterbury is the highest Latino state official in the delegation. Diaz, the former deputy city clerk of Waterbury, is now the deputy commissioner of the CT Department of Motor Vehicles.
Jose Melara is a union representative with the United Auto Workers who lives in Farmington. Anna Montalvo of Naugatuck is president of AFSCME Local 1522 in Bridgeport. She is also secretary of the Council 4 AFSCME district.
Paul Nuñez of New Haven is a lobbyist for DePino Associates, a firm founded by former GOP state chair Chris DePino. Nuñez has been a lobbyist for the CT Conference of Municipalities and the City of New Haven. Carmen Reyes of New Haven, a past candidate for the New Haven Board of Aldermen, is second vice-chair of the city’s Democratic Town Committee.
Mildred Torres-Ferguson of Meriden is chair of that city’s Democratic Town Committee. She also served co-chief of staff for House Speaker Chris Donovan.
