Voters in Lowell elect a Latino to the final City Council seat

LOWELL -- Although he became Lowell's first Hispanic city councilor last week, George Ramirez says his victory came from support that crossed ethnic lines.

''I campaigned as a mainstream candidate," said the 41-year-old lawyer, who received 5,148 votes to take the final seat on the nine-member council.

''I received support from the non-Hispanic community, but the Hispanic voters were also very crucial to me," he said.

Ramirez's victory marks the second time in recent years that a candidate from a minority group has won a seat on the council.

In 1999, Cambodian-American Chanrithy ''Rithy" Uong became the first person of Southeast Asian descent to win a City Council seat in Lowell. Uong was reelected in 2001 and 2003, but resigned from the council last August following an investigation by the State Ethics Commission that found he had wrongly accepted a promotion at Lowell High School while on the council.

Three other Cambodian-Americans ran for seats on the council and School Committee in Tuesday's election, but none of them were successful.

According to federal census data, there are 14,734 Latinos in Lowell, 14 percent of the population of a little more than 105,000.

Hispanics are the second-largest minority group, behind Cambodians, who make up almost one-quarter of the population, according to local estimates.

Officials said 12,653 people voted in the election.

Ramirez, a native of Colombia who moved to Lowell when he was 8, cited his support among Lowell's white voters but also said he had strong support in the city's Hispanic community.

''Lowell has an at-large City Council structure," he said. ''Councilors represent the whole city, not different segments of the population or particular neighborhoods. That's the way I campaigned, as a representative for all the people."

It was Ramirez's second try for elective office. He ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2003 and finished 11th in that race, just 522 votes short of the ninth-place finisher, who had 5,505 votes. He said his experience in that election helped him this time around.

''I lost in 2003, but that election gave me something that helped me this time around: name recognition," Ramirez said. ''It gave my campaign an edge I didn't have the first time I ran."

He said he is happy to make history as the city's first Hispanic councilor. ''My focus is to represent the interests of the entire city but, at the same time, I feel this is a significant moment for the Hispanic community," Ramirez said. ''My victory should be a catalyst to encourage . . . the community to feel that Hispanics can have a stronger role."

Ramirez said he worked hard on the campaign trail. He and supporters canvassed neighborhoods, going door to door. He also used direct mail and raised $25,000 for his campaign chest.

''It was well-organized," he said. ''I had people around me who worked hard for this victory."

Tuesday's election was notable for another reason. Three Cambodian-Americans ran for seats on the City Council and School Committee. Lowell has never had three candidates of Cambodian ancestry on the same ballot. None of the three were successful, however.

Vesna Nuon, who was considered a favorite to win one of the six School Committee seats, finished seventh, with 4,625 votes. Nuon, who also ran unsuccessfully for the School Committee in 2001 and 2003, said he was frustrated by the outcome Tuesday night.

''When all you want is an opportunity to serve and address the issues, this is very disappointing," he said. ''I campaigned hard. It's been exhausting for my family and my supporters."

Nuon said he was not sure if he would run again in 2007. ''I want to take a break, then reevaluate things," he said. ''I don't know what I can do that would be any different from what I've done before."

Sambeth Chey Fennell, a Cambodian-American candidate for City Council, said he was also unsure if he would run again. Fennell took 1,769 votes. ''I don't know at this point," he said. ''I have to talk with my supporters."

Rady Mom, another Cambodian-American candidate for the City Council, said he was also disappointed by the outcome but plans to run again in 2007. Mom had 2,707 votes. ''It was my first campaign, so I learned a lot, but I look forward to putting my name on the ballot again," he said. ''This is just a beginning."

Ramirez said he is prepared to advance his agenda on the council.

''City government needs to be more transparent," he said. ''Meetings of the planning, zoning, and licensing boards need to be televised, so that citizens know how decisions are being made, particularly those involving development."

Second, Ramirez said he would like to see a partnership between the city, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and Middlesex Community College aimed at creating jobs in Lowell for local residents.

''We have the workforce," he said. ''The key is to encourage new companies to move here and employ our residents, once they've received the necessary workforce training."