Workshops to train Portuguese speakers to run for office

Posted by MELISSA COSTA on Feb 17, 2012 in Top Stories | 1 comment

This post is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)

Cambridge – For years, cities like Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton have been influenced and guided by Portuguese political leaders.
 In attempts to encourage other Portuguese communities, in Massachusetts, to follow in their footsteps, workshops have been designed to train community leaders on how to run for public office.
 “Running for public office is the ultimate way of ensuring that our community is more politically represented and engaged in the civic and political life of our country,” stated  Paulo Pinto, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS).
 MAPS in partnership with MassVOTE and with the support of CPCU Credit Union will organize next month the “Ready, Set, Run” workshops.
 “We think that this is really an important way to build Portuguese-speaking leadership capacity so that we have the tools to potentially run for office and empower our communities,” stated Pinto, whose dream is to see many more community leaders become candidates for political positions at all levels of local, state and federal government.
 Throughout the years, the names Carlton M. Viveiros (Former Mayor), Robert Correia (Former State Rep. and Mayor) and Mary Fonseca (Former State Senator) have resonated through the city of Fall River, as have the names of Antonio Cabral (State Representative) and Edmundo Dinis (District Attorney) in New Bedford, among others.
 In Taunton one will hear the names, Theodore Aleixo (Former Mayor) and Robert Nunes (Former Mayor), while in the nearby state of Rhode Island the names M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (State Senate President), Paul Tavares (Former Treasurer) and Daniel DaPonte (Senator) are echoed. 
 “We are a very large community and it is about time that we have lots more of us in those important positions, just as other groups such as the Irish and the Italian-American communities have done,” stated Pinto.
 The four-part workshop series will be held at the MAPS office, on 1046 Cambridge Street, in Cambridge, during consecutive Tuesdays in March.
 An interesting coincidence, considering Cambridge’s failure to elect a Mayor so far.
 “We don’t all have to run for office, but if we are not interested in doing that ourselves, we need to know that there are other ways that we can exercise political power by volunteering, voting and financially supporting other candidates,” stated Pinto.  “That way, we can make sure that we are able to get members of our community elected, regardless of their political party affiliations.”
  The workshops will be held during the month of March, from 7 to 9 pm.
 Why run for office? What does it take?
 Issues that matter to community members – how school committee, city council/board of aldermen, mayors, and other elected officials can affect a community and what it takes to organize people to make a difference on issues like public safety or education – will be addressed during the first session, on Tuesday, March 6.
 How many votes does it take to win?
 The difference between victory and defeat, how to create a specific campaign strategy, the role of the candidate and a plan for voter contact are all topics being discussed during the second session, Tuesday, March 13.
 The third session, on March 20, will address fundraising skills, how to get volunteers and campaign money and different ways to build a campaign, from securing endorsements to recruiting volunteers to fundraising.
 The last session is being held on March 27 and will discuss campaign messages, public speaking and the legal rules that govern campaigns and elections.
 For more information and registration, please see the workshop link at www.maps-inc.org or contact Deolinda Da Veiga (617) 864-7600, or via email at dveiga@maps-inc.org.