Dominicans in US elections

[Dolores]

DANR Congratulates All Dominicans Who
Won Races On Election Day In the U.S.

Washington, DC (November 12, 2007) – The Dominican American National Roundtable (DANR) congratulates all of the Dominicans who won elections in the U.S. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, 2007. This year we had a combination of incumbents re-elected as well as newly-elected Dominicans.

“We congratulate and recognize those Dominican Americans who won elections in the United States,” said Victor Capellan, President of the DANR. “The number of Dominicans elected to public office continues to grow in the U.S. and the DANR looks forward to working with all of the Dominican elected officials who won races. From school boards to state legislatures, Dominican Americans continue to increase their presence.”

The DANR is particularly pleased that a Dominican voice has returned to the Lawrence, Massachusetts city council after two years in which the city did not have a Dominican on the Lawrence city council. An estimated 34% of the population in Lawrence is Dominican. As the DANR is a non-partisan organization, it does not endorse candidates running for office.

THE FOLLOWING DOMINICANS WON ELECTIVE OFFICE ON ELECTION DAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2007

Rafael A. Bueno, Village Trustee (Haverstraw, NY) – incumbent
Emily Dominguez, Village Trustee (Haverstraw, NY) – NEWLY ELECTED
Frank A. Moran, Councilman At Large (Lawrence, MA) – NEWLY ELECTED


Areas of note:
• This year’s Election Day is considered as an “off year” in the United States as most states did not have major statewide elections and there are no federal elections.
• The election of Emily Dominguez to the Haverstraw Village Council increases the number of Dominicans elected in Haverstraw to three. (The third Dominican is Haverstraw Deputy Mayor Francisco Batista.)
• The Village of Haverstraw is the smallest municipality in the United States with multiple Dominican elected officials as it has a population of 10,177 according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Haverstraw is located in Rockland County, New York on the banks of the Hudson River, approximately 40 miles north of New York City.
• Lawrence, Massachusetts has been without a Dominican elected official on the City Council since 2005 when both Marcos Devers and Carlos Matos served. The election of Frank Moran increases the total number of Dominicans elected in Lawrence to two. (The other is State Representative William Lantigua.)
• Following last Tuesday’s election results, the DANR estimates the following number of Dominicans currently in elected positions:
o 6 Dominicans elected to state legislatures (including one State Senator)
o 19 Dominicans elected to county or municipal legislatures
o 7 Dominicans elected as judges