04-10-2009, 06:24 PM
Kapow! Two More Bite the Dust as Immigrants Celebrate on Election Night
Waukegan Latinos did not wait for Congress, however. They have known for years that Mayor Hyde was not their friend. Working with my organization, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, community leaders have worked doggedly over the past four years to build their electoral skills and political muscle. Last year, with our support, they created the Waukegan Leadership Council, where they have continued promoting civic participation of Latinos.
Non-partisan citizenship drives through churches, ethnic associations and social service agencies have assisted 2,321 legal immigrants to become naturalized citizens in Waukegan over the past four years. Non partisan voter registration efforts during the 2004, 2006 and 2008 election cycles has resulted in 2,643 new immigrant voters in Waukegan. And in 2008, immigrant organizations spent more than $250,000 doing non-partisan immigrant-voter mobilization in Lake County, including Waukegan. The Dan Seals campaign for Congress in the 10th CD against Mark Kirk had its immigrant field operation run by leaders and staff trained through this process. Seals captured over 70 percent of the Latino vote, and November proved to be a dry run for Tuesday's Mayoral election.
The results speak for themselves. Mayor-elect Sabonjian ran a spirited multi-ethnic campaign based on inclusion. He won with 54 percent of the vote, walking away with a 700 vote margin of the 7,500 votes cast. Challenger Sabonjian won every single one of the nine heavily Latino precincts targeted by the anti-Hyde activists, with margins as high as 69 percent to 31 percent (precinct 395) and 57 percent to 39 percent (precinct 392), with many around 56 percent to 41 percent. Two of Sabaonjian full-time Latino volunteers were former staff persons of ICIRR.
The Sabonjian upset in Waukegan and the role of the dogged, patient work of Latinos to exact their political revenge on Hyde is a defeat for the politics of hate in Illinois and should make anti-immigrant politicians like Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran and Congressmen Mark Kirk and Dan Lipinski take notice for the future. But on Tuesday night it was all smiles as Latinos celebrated with Mayor-elect Sabonjian at the victory party -- which was held in the Mexican restaurant La Chapala, as Sabonjian supporters chanted, "Si Se Puede! Yes We Can!"
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-hoyt/kapow-two-more-bite-the-d_b_184697.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-ho ... 84697.html</a><!-- m -->
Waukegan Latinos did not wait for Congress, however. They have known for years that Mayor Hyde was not their friend. Working with my organization, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, community leaders have worked doggedly over the past four years to build their electoral skills and political muscle. Last year, with our support, they created the Waukegan Leadership Council, where they have continued promoting civic participation of Latinos.
Non-partisan citizenship drives through churches, ethnic associations and social service agencies have assisted 2,321 legal immigrants to become naturalized citizens in Waukegan over the past four years. Non partisan voter registration efforts during the 2004, 2006 and 2008 election cycles has resulted in 2,643 new immigrant voters in Waukegan. And in 2008, immigrant organizations spent more than $250,000 doing non-partisan immigrant-voter mobilization in Lake County, including Waukegan. The Dan Seals campaign for Congress in the 10th CD against Mark Kirk had its immigrant field operation run by leaders and staff trained through this process. Seals captured over 70 percent of the Latino vote, and November proved to be a dry run for Tuesday's Mayoral election.
The results speak for themselves. Mayor-elect Sabonjian ran a spirited multi-ethnic campaign based on inclusion. He won with 54 percent of the vote, walking away with a 700 vote margin of the 7,500 votes cast. Challenger Sabonjian won every single one of the nine heavily Latino precincts targeted by the anti-Hyde activists, with margins as high as 69 percent to 31 percent (precinct 395) and 57 percent to 39 percent (precinct 392), with many around 56 percent to 41 percent. Two of Sabaonjian full-time Latino volunteers were former staff persons of ICIRR.
The Sabonjian upset in Waukegan and the role of the dogged, patient work of Latinos to exact their political revenge on Hyde is a defeat for the politics of hate in Illinois and should make anti-immigrant politicians like Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran and Congressmen Mark Kirk and Dan Lipinski take notice for the future. But on Tuesday night it was all smiles as Latinos celebrated with Mayor-elect Sabonjian at the victory party -- which was held in the Mexican restaurant La Chapala, as Sabonjian supporters chanted, "Si Se Puede! Yes We Can!"
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-hoyt/kapow-two-more-bite-the-d_b_184697.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-ho ... 84697.html</a><!-- m -->