Groups look to boost minority ranks in office

Minority leaders, spurred by Deval Patrick's successful run for governor and increasing voter participation by blacks and Hispanics in recent years, are launching an effort to produce a wave of candidates for political office across the state.

The effort is also being fueled by a study released yesterday indicating that 10 of the most diverse communities in Eastern Massachusetts have only a few minorities in elected office : 9 percent of 186 elected officials are minorities ; 41.3 percent of the population in the 10 communities is nonwhite.

In four of the communities -- Everett, Lynn, Quincy, and Somerville -- there were no minorities elected to office, and three others had only one elected official who was a minority, according to the study . Those communities were Framingham, Malden, and Randolph. The other cities reviewed were Boston, Chelsea, and Cambridge.

The study also suggested that minorities occupied just 15 percent of 550 appointed positions in the 10 communities. Nearly 60 percent of boards and commissions were made up entirely of white members, according to the study, conducted by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

"This should serve as a wake-up call to communities of color," said Carol Hardy-Fanta , author of the study, "A Benchmark Report on Diversity in State and Local Government."

Leaders of grass-roots organizations, get-out-the-vote efforts, as well as elected officials and other minority leaders are hoping to mount challenges for mayoral and legislative seats down to positions on the local water boards.

To help in that effort, a group of organizations -- including MassVOTE, Suffolk University, and ¿Oiste? -- will launch a program today that aims to recruit 50 minorities a year and put them through four months of intensive training on fund-raising for campaigns, collecting signatures to qualify for ballots, and getting voters out on Election Day.

Over the next three years, program leaders hope some 150 graduates will work their way into political positions -- running campaigns, getting appointed to spots on zoning boards and conservation commissions, or running for elected office.

By getting more blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and other minorities in a wide variety of positions, program leaders hope to establish a political network that will make it easier for minority politicians down the road to get a start.

"People are seeing that the way to play is not to stand on the sidelines and scream and moan and complain," said Horace Small , executive director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, an organization that trains community activists. "You've got to find your voice. And people found their voice in November. This thing is kind of at a fever pitch."

The program, called Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership, will begin training in April and is being funded by a three-year, $1.1 million grant from several Greater Boston foundations, including the Boston Foundation, New Community Fund, and the Herman and Frieda L. Miller Foundation. The program, which is currently recruiting its first class of 25 members, will be housed at Suffolk University and is being managed by the voting advocacy group ¿Oiste?.

The study released yesterday provided a striking snapshot of several cities in the area, showing a wide disparity between the elected officials and the increasingly diverse communities they represent.

One of the key recommendations of the study is for local officials to examine their procedures for filling appointed offices, ensuring that they are representative of their communities. The study also urged local leaders to appoint minorities to a variety of positions.

"Many times the minority officials are concentrated on certain boards, like human rights commission or housing commission," said Hardy-Fanta, author of the study. "But they're not very well represented on the planning boards, the board of assessors, and the licensing boards."

In Boston, whose population is 51 percent non white, about 29 percent of elected officials and 48 percent of appointed officials are non white. In Cambridge, which is 35 percent minority, about 20 percent of elected officials and 21 percent of appointed officials are minorities.

In Randolph and Lynn, where nearly 40 percent of residents are nonwhite, 6 percent or less of elected officials are minorities.

Program leaders said they plan to target the communities where the disparities are the greatest.

An analysis of November's voting turnout by MassVOTE showed that Boston neighborhoods with mostly white residents turned out in fewer numbers than four years ago; neighborhoods with a majority of blacks, Asians, or Hispanics turned out in higher numbers.

"I think you're going to see blacks and Hispanics broadening out and taking some shots at the top tier," said Joyce Ferriabough-Bolling , a political strategist in Roxbury whose husband, Bruce , was the first African-American president of the City Council.

Several recent elections have proved that minority candidates can fare well in Boston. Felix Arroyo won an at-large seat, becoming the first Latino on the City Council in 2003. Andrea Cabral became Suffolk County's first black sheriff in 2005. A year ago, Sam Yoon became the first Asian-American on the City Council.

"It's very exciting that we just elected our first African-American governor," said Avi Green , executive director of MassVOTE, a nonprofit that is helping recruit members for the initiative. "The question the state faces is: Was that a fluke, or was it a key moment in a trend of change?"

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.