Wave of Latino Candidates Bringing More Diversity of North Texas Politics

When North Texas voters head to the polls this May, they will elect more than 100 mayors, city council members, school board trustees and other public officials — including, possibly, the first Hispanic mayor in Dallas history.Unlike cities with large Latino populations, such as Los Angeles or San Antonio, Dallas has never had a Latino mayor.Already, the list of hopefuls to replace Mayor Mike Rawlings includes three Hispanic names: Regina Montoya, former head of the Mayor's Task Force on Poverty; Miguel Solis, Dallas school board trustee and president of the Latino Center for Leadership Development; and former Republican representative Jason Villalba, who announced his candidacy this Tuesday."These are people with an important political background. ... It should be noted in the past we’ve had Latino candidates [for mayor], but never a woman," said Valerie Martínez-Ebers, director of Latina/o and Mexican-American Studies at the University of North Texas."There has been a tremendous change in terms of female leadership. Unlike male motivation — both white and Latino — women run with a political reason focused on helping their communities. Men feel motivated by power and prestige and a desire to advance their careers."  Continue reading...