LAWRENCE — This year, the list of candidates running for public office in the city reads like a page from an immigration ledger — Abdoo, Gosselin, Armano, Kolofoles, Bozkurt, Maali, Rodriguez, Almonte and Silverio.
"This is the most ethnically diverse race in the city's history," said Barbara Brown, executive director of the Lawrence History Center.
When residents go to the polls tomorrow, they will choose from a pool of candidates representing immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Ireland, Canada, Italy, Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, Iran, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Ecuador.
Lawrence is known as the "Immigrant City" because it has welcomed people from around the world throughout its history.
"It has really manifested itself in this election," said Richard Padova of Lawrence, a professor of political science, history and geography at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill.
Brown said she is surprised at the ethnic diversity of the candidates for mayor, School Committee and City Council.
"The perception is that Lawrence is just a Hispanic city; this shows it's a multivocal community," she said.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census figures on nationality, among the 72,043 residents of Lawrence, there are 4,646 Italians, 4,716 Irish, 3,175 French Canadians, 1,133 Lebanese; 372 Ecuadorians; 416 Iranians and 434 Turkish. The two largest groups are Dominicans with 16,186 and Puerto Ricans with 15,816. No records were available on Greek-Americans on the Census Web site.
Brown said some of the candidates are newly arrived immigrants from countries where they could not participate in the political process for various reasons.
"For them, America is a place of promise which allows them to have a voice," Brown said. "This is a positive for Lawrence because it shows that they care so much about the city, they want to make a difference."
Marguerite Kane, a former Lawrence city councilor and School Committee member, agrees.
"They have that freedom that was lacking in their native countries and (are) taking advantage of our political system," said Kane, who teaches government at Merrimack College.
"They are saying, 'We're a presence in city, and this is how our system is supposed to be represented,'" said Kane, who is a former Essex County commissioner.
WHO WILL TURN OUT?
Isabel Melendez, a former mayoral candidate and executive director of the Spanish program for the Lawrence Community Action Council, said a big voter turnout among Hispanics could make a difference in tomorrow's election.
"If Latinos wake up and decide to go out to vote, there will be a Latino in the mayor's office," she said.
Kemal Kozkurt and Homayoun Maal, who are Turkish and Iranian respectively, are running for School Committee. They represent two of the newest immigrant groups in the city.
"They are like the Pied Pipers," Padova said. "They are opening the doors for the Turkish and the Iranians to attract other followers to come to the city."
For years, the city's corner office was occupied by Irish with the surnames of Breen, Lynch, Kane, Cahill, Hurley, Mahoney, Meehan, Buckley, Kiley and Sullivan.
Even most of the aldermen were Irish - Galvin, McCarthy, Reardon, Callahan, Donovan and Menery. Italians became politically involved in the 1970s with Philip DiAdamo, and in the 1980s with Anthony R. Silva and Richard D'Agostino.
"It's a sign of the vitality and the interest these people have in contributing and being part of the system," Kane said. "It's encouraging because other cities have an apathy and alienation, and here we have such a dynamic population."
But that dynamic was not always there, especially for Hispanics - the largest ethnic group in Lawrence today. Although Hispanics have lived in Lawrence since the 1950s when Cubans and Puerto Ricans moved here, they did not become politically involved until 1981.
Back then, Luis Raoul Colon, a teacher at Lawrence High School, ran for mayor. He received the fewest votes in that race with 600, beaten by Larry LeFebre, who received 71.4 percent of the vote.
In 1981, the Rev. Daniel O'Neill, another Hispanic candidate, despite his Irish surname, came in eighth in the School Committee race. At the time, there were only 500 Hispanic registered voters.
O'Neill, who moved to Lawrence in 1975, believes he and Colon opened the doors for other Hispanics.
"I'd love to see a Hispanic get elected as mayor," O'Neill said. "But I doubt it because the Hispanic community is so fragmented. I want them to be united behind one candidate and not have each candidate have its own group."
A microcosm of the nation
"Lawrence is a microcosm of what's happening in the country," said Brown of the Lawrence History Center. She cited the election of the first African-American president, Gov. Deval Patrick as the first African-American governor in Massachusetts, and the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic woman to the Supreme Court.
"That's the strength of this country. Immigrants bring new ideas and dreams, and we're not stuck in one place," Brown said.
"It sends a message to people that it can happen in the U.S. It says they feel they have a voice in the city and they want to be heard. For better or for worse, with this energy and enthusiasm, can come change tomorrow," Brown said.
It wasn't until the 1990s when Hispanics became involved in politics again. Ralph Carrero was elected to the School Committee in 1992. He went on to serve three consecutive terms until 2001.
In 1997, Julia Silverio became the first Hispanic to serve on the City Council.
Since then, Carrero and Silverio paved the way for others to run and win. In 2001, Isabel Melendez made history by becoming the first Hispanic woman to win a primary. She was defeated by Mayor Michael Sullivan in the general election.
Today, four of the nine members of the City Council are Hispanics. On the School Committee, three of its six members are Hispanic.
The diversity in this year's election does not surprise Louise Sandberg, archivist in the history room at Lawrence Public Library.
"It's part of the American dream to make an individual impact," Sandberg said. "I think it's the direction one goes. It's very healthy to have a mix. As the ethnicity changes, people want to represent themselves and their constituents."
Brown said it usually takes 20 years for an immigrant group to become politically active.
"First, they have to shed the fear or history of why politics are bad. If they come from a country where they don't trust politicians, they're not going to run."
Kane said the results of this election will have an impact.
"This is the beginning of something that is going to grow. As you see the sons and daughters of immigrants come out of school, they follow the footsteps of their predecessors and will become leaders in politics, education and business," Kane said.
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