Latinos will be watching Ramirez

Having been criticized for not doing more to help Latinos in his city, former Lowell city councilor George Ramirez says he wants to work with the community as a member of the Patrick administration to help create a more comfortable environment for Hispanics in the state.

And a statewide Latino political organization says it's going to watch and keep Ramirez to his word.

Ramirez, 43, resigned from the Lowell City Council last week to become general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, an agency that pushes job creation and tries to attract businesses to the state as part of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

The Colombia-born lawyer said he hopes his presence at a state agency in charge of economic development will open doors for Latino residents statewide by making it more comfortable for them to approach the agency for help.

"If I can use my Hispanic background in any way, I think it's great," Ramirez said in an interview. "I think me being there creates a more comfortable environment" for Hispanics.

The city's first Latino city councilor, Ramirez had previously announced he would not seek reelection after only one term to spend more time with his family. However, he said he couldn't pass up "a great opportunity" to work for Governor Deval Patrick, another trailblazer.

Ramirez, a product of Lowell's upscale Belvidere neighborhood, was elected in 2005 to a two-year term.

As a councilor, Ramirez said he focused on creating a stronger city manager office and televising city meetings. But he was knocked by some Latino activists and political observers for not being more vocal on issues affecting Latinos.

Maria Lopez, project coordinator for the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership, said Ramirez did not push "Hispanic issues" while on the council but said she would like to see him help area Latinos in any way he can with his new position. "I hope he does a good job," she said.

Giovanna Negretti, executive director of ¡Oíste!, a statewide nonprofit group that trains Latino candidates to run for office, was one of those critical of Ramirez's tenure. Negretti said last week she is giving Ramirez the benefit of the doubt as he takes on his new position.

"I truly hope he lives up to his word," she said. She said she believes the Latino community "has a responsibility to hold him accountable. We will be watching him very carefully."

Negretti said she will be looking next year to see how many jobs have been created in the Latino community and how many Latinos Ramirez helped get hired in state government. "We want to believe him," she said.

Negretti said she is happy Patrick is keeping his campaign promise of making sure there are people of color working in his administration.

Ramirez says he was inspired by Patrick during his run for the governor's office. "I began to fall in love with government all over again," said Ramirez, who worked 15 years ago as a staffer for former governor William Weld.

He said he hopes to have a big impact in his new job. "I'm looking to leave to have a say on public policy on a state level," he said. "My goals are the governor's goals."

Ramirez said those goals include attracting new businesses to the state and keeping existing businesses here.

The son of a machinist, Ramirez arrived in Lowell as a child knowing very little English. He eventually attended the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and, later, Suffolk Law School. His wife, Kathy, is the daughter of former state senator Daniel Leahy, and her brother, John Leahy, is a Lowell School Committee member.

Asked if he was using his new position as a springboard to another run for office someday, Ramirez did not rule that out. "My personal goals are to grow professionally," he said. "But I'll never rule out another run for public office."

With Ramirez out of the picture, it is unlikely that Lowell will see another Latino city councilor for some time, political observers say.

US Census figures show that about 60 percent of Lowell's 100,000 residents are white. Asian-Americans make up 21 percent of the city's population and are Lowell's largest minority group; Latinos make up 16 percent.

Negretti said ¡Oíste! will be working to train potential candidates who are interested in running for City Council, but said the city's current at-large system "suppresses voters" because it doesn't allow candidates to run and represent largely minority districts, as in places like Lawrence.

Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.