Latinos weigh vote for their own
Rivera, Tobin pose issue in District 6
Lately, Juan Reyes's political viewpoints have not been as popular with his Latino customers as the orders of fried plantains and Cuban sandwiches he serves up daily.
That's because Reyes has already made up his mind to support Councilor John M. Tobin Jr. in the upcoming District 6 race, over challenger Gibran Rivera.
Rivera is Latino. Tobin is not. And in this heavily Latino neighborhood, where Spanish is as common on the streets as English, residents are deeply divided over which candidate to support.
Rivera is immensely popular, in part because he would be the district's first Latino councilor. But many say that Tobin has been an effective and hard-working representative on the City Council. And so a debate has erupted over how much ethnicity should matter.
''Not everyone wants to hear that I like John," Reyes said in Spanish on a recent afternoon as he worked in the restaurant's kitchen. ''I think it's great that there is a Latino running, but they can't just vote for him because he is Latino. John is a great guy. People knew him. He treats us all well."
In Boston, where members of minority groups are now a numerical majority but where whites still hold most seats of power, some minority voters say they want to support candidates of color running against white opponents. Social pressure to do so can be intense, some Latinos say.
Latinos in Jamaica Plain say the cultural pressure is in full force in the neighborhood, where Latinos make up 25 percent of the population and Rivera's campaign is regarded as long overdue by many immigrant and minority voters who say they are tired of traditional candidates ignoring their neighborhoods.
With Councilor at Large Felix Arroyo, the first Latino to be elected citywide, also running this year, loyalty to Latinos is especially high among voters in Jamaica Plain. Voting for Tobin, who lives in predominately white West Roxbury, can be a complex decision, according to some Latino voters.
Leonel Ramirez, 41, who moved to the United States with his family from Honduras when he was a boy, wants to see more Latinos in elected positions, but he also likes Tobin, who he says regularly shows up for community meetings and is easily accessible.
But for some Latinos, Tobin has not reached out enough.
Giovanna Negretti, a Jamaica Plain community activist who works to engage Latino voters, said she rarely sees Tobin at Latino events in the area, but sees Rivera nearly every week at rallies or meetings.
''Race does play a factor, but it's more than that," she said. ''If Gibran was white, I think the Latinos would still take him into consideration and vote for him. He works hard. He has a diverse campaign. He really walks the walk."
Both Rivera and Tobin become frustrated when the topic of race and culture surfaces.
Tobin says he won't apologize for being white or middle class, and tries to redirect the conversation back to issues such as education and housing.
Rivera says he is weary of being called the Latino candidate. He is hoping to attract a diverse turnout and has campaigned heavily in West Roxbury, knocking on thousands of doors and hosting meetings. But he is also quick to highlight his opponents' lack of bilingual skills. Tobin does not speak Spanish, nor does anyone on his staff.
At a recent debate, Rivera gave up the chance to ask his rival a question to translate for a Latino man who did not speak English but wanted to address Tobin.
But Latinos voting for Tobin say they couldn't care less if Tobin can't understand their native tongue. ''There is always someone around in the community who can translate," Reyes said. ''Tobin, if you call him, he always responds." 