Elicker Courts Latino Vote

In a Fair Haven bar, supporters of mayoral candidate Justin Elicker dug into plates of beans and rice, chicken, and salad. They didn’t need to worry about running out of food.

There was plenty to go around at the meet-and-greet Wednesday evening. The crowd comprised about a dozen Elicker supporters, and few new converts.

The event was held at Wilson’s Cafe at the corner of Grand and Blatchley avenues, in the heart of Spanish-speaking Fair Haven. The Elicker campaign had advertised the evening with bilingual flyers offering the promise of ​“a conversation in Spanish and English about the future of your community.”

Elicker is a petitioning candidate for mayor, running against Democrat Toni Harp. With less than two weeks until the Nov. 5 election, Elicker, who received little support in the Democratic primary from voters of color, is looking to win over Latino voters in Fair Haven.

Harp has captured the endorsement of a number of Latino leaders, including Aldermen Migdalia Castro, Jorge Perez, Sergio Rodriguez, and state Rep. Juan Candelaria.

Among the Fair Haveners on his side, Elicker (pictured) has neighborhood activist Lee Cruz, who helped organize Wednesday’s event.

“We’re canvassing every week, twice a week,” Cruz said. ​“The numbers are looking pretty good. We’re on target.”

Cruz said he’s seeing supporters of former mayoral candidate Henry Fernandez breaking toward Elicker in ​“significant numbers.” Fernandez captured about 19 percent of the Democratic votes in the primary.

So why didn’t more people show up for the meet-and-greet?

“It’s a combination of things,” Cruz said. Some people are working two or three jobs, or otherwise have obligations and responsibilities, he said.

Elio Cruz (no relation), a Westville neighbor who has been helping Elicker in Fair Haven, said it’s difficult to engage the Latino immigrant community in the election.

“They don’t really care about it,” he said. Those who can vote often choose not to, said Elio Cruz, who’s originally from Ecuador.

“Politicians in our country, you can’t really trust them,” Elio said. That’s one reason why Ecuadorians often choose not to vote, Elio said.

For another, in Ecuador, voting is mandatory, Elio said. ​“In Ecuador, if you don’t vote, you get a fine.” As new citizens, Ecuadorian-Americans may relish the freedom to not vote.

“It’s tough to get the Latino immigrants, to get them out to vote,” Elio said. ​“Maybe that’s why there’s not many people here.” Or maybe it’s just too early, he added. It was about 6 p.m.

Kenny Chitacapa, a 23-year-old Fair Havener, agreed with Elio’s assessment of the challenge of rallying Latino voters. ​“I mean, there’s not a lot of people here,” he said, looking around the room.

Chitacapa said the problem is compounded among young voters, many of whom are just not tuned in to local politics.

Lee Cruz disagreed with Elio Cruz’s hypothesis that Latino immigrants aren’t politically engaged. ​“Among people we’ve talked to, it hasn’t been my experience.” Lee Cruz said, however, that he’s been talking mostly to people who have voted in the past, not brand new voters.

Susana Cando, Chitacapa’s mom, said Elicker (pictured) has plenty of support in Fair Haven. People didn’t show up to the meet-and-greet because they have jobs and kids, she said.

“Many people support him here,” she said. ​“Muchisima gente.”

“It’s difficult to get people out,” Elicker said on Thursday morning. ​“It’s difficult to get people interested in politics. There’s generally a feeling in the public that politics doesn’t make a difference. I’ve been working hard to get people engaged.”

“I always like having more people at events because I want to hear from people,” he said. ​“I want to share my vision for the city.”

Elicker also released a campaign commercial Thursday. Click on the video to watch.