GALEO prepares for G'ville voting rights battle

GAINESVILLE - The head of the Atlanta based Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) said Tuesday night there's strong evidence that the City of Gainesville is out of compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act.

GALEO Executive Director Jerry Gonzalez told members of the Voting Rights Committee for the City of Gainesville, meeting at the Aviation Boulevard Cielos Abiertos, that the present at-large voting process unfairly dilutes minority voting efforts.

"Because of that we want the City to eliminate the at large process," Gonzalez said. "Unfortunately the City has not been very cooperative."

GALEO battled the City in August 2011, claiming Hispanic voter numbers were growing but the at-large system diluted voting strength; city council members stuck by at-large voting. At-large means voters city wide choose the elected officials. Wards One and Four are up for election in November and for the first time so is the post of mayor.

"Everybody in the City will get the vote for those wards regardless of the fact that they may not live on those wards," Gonzalez added. "That is the big rub that we have because there are three Latino majority wards in the City of Gainesville, so we think that an at large voting process dilutes those particular voters. It's unfair, it's unrepresentative."

Gonzalez said he still hopes the City will choose to work with GALEO, and avoid a costly court battle.

"Litigation could cost the City upwards of maybe $1-million," Gonzalez said. "I don't think the city taxpayers should be put through that unnecessary expense simply because the City Council is stubborn and not willing to look at the facts as we have them."

Gonzalez believes Latinos are not participating as voters because at-large voting discriminates against them, and suppresses and discourages them.

"We're going to talk about what we need to be doing as community leaders to make this happen through insuring political pressure during this election season," he said. "We would also consider the options of litigation if we need to."

Gonzalez cited research done by University of Washington Associate Professor Matt Barreto, co-founder of 'Latino Decisions'. Based on Latino voting patterns, Gonzalez said Barreto called Gainesville's at-large voting a "textbook example of race polarization" that would attract court attention as a violation of Section (2) of the Voting Rights Act.

Ward Four Councilman George Wangeman said he was at the meeting to get informed on what the group and GALEO were talking about. He noted the heavy Latino presence in his ward but believes the at-large system works best.

"My ward seems to be the one probably most picked on as far as GALEO goes because there are a number of Hispanics who live in the Southwest quadrant of the city," Wangeman said. "My current opinion is that the system we have, the at-large system, works best."

According to Wangeman council members take a holistic view of the city.

"Instead of just viewing our little ward we're beholden to all the citizens of Gainesville and not just a small percentage of them from one ward," he added.

Wangeman said his philosophy of government is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

"In my opinion it's not broke," he claimed. "And I think a lot of citizens feel that way, but obviously, some don't."

Wangeman said it was also obvious Latinos would like to see one of their own elected to serve Ward Four, but in the at-large system 'may the best candidate win, the one who makes the best presentation, regardless of race'.

"I come from the ward that this heavily Latino," Wangeman pointed out. "But in that large system my constituents are all the citizens of Gainesville in all five wards of the city, so that's who I'm representing."