The
forum, hosted by Centro Presente on Oct. 7, offered direct translation
service not available at regular City Hall meetings. Officials and
challengers from the Board of Aldermen and School Committee used the
opportunity to introduce themselves as both members and advocates for
Somerville's immigrant community.

While School Committee member
Mark Niedergang and Aldermen John Connolly, Dennis Sullivan and Bill
Roche cited immigrant roots, Alderman-at-Large Bill White introduced
himself with an anecdote that spoke to the alienation some immigrants
feel in Somerville. Last year, Centro Presente organized a rally as
news of an immigration raid spread fear throughout the community.

White,
who has an Italian-Portuguese background, described an incident from
his days as a student at Somerville High School when a police sergeant
referred to him by a racial slur while visiting the station for a class
project.

"When I got elected, one of the things I dedicated myself to was not allowing that kind of attitude to continue on," White said.

Through
questions posed by Centro Presente Executive Director Patricia Montes,
Board President Gabriel Camacho and Maria Landaverde of the Welcome
Project, the panelists were asked how they have represented the needs
of the immigrant community.

Among a variety of issues relating
to immigrant involvement in the city's political process, all of the
panelists stressed the need for any member of the Somerville community,
here legally or not, to feel comfortable going to the authorities.

Ward
3 Alderman Tom Taylor recalled a 1987 fire that destroyed an apartment
building as the impetus for his support of Somerville becoming a
designated sanctuary city for immigrants.

The fire, Taylor said,
was likely caused by the poor living conditions that the mostly illegal
immigrant population in the building faced.

"People were afraid,
basically, to go to the authorities, whether it was the inspectional
services division or the police department," Taylor said. "Some of the
conditions these people were living in were atrocious."

"If you hear of any city officials treating you unjustly, please come forward," Taylor added.

Jesse
Kanson-Benanav, who stood in for alderman-at-large challenger Luis
Morales, said those issues require more diversity on the Board – which
he said Morales' background as an immigrant from El Salvador and
business owner would bring.

"In a city where 30 to 35 percent of
the residents were not born in the United States, the Board of Aldermen
should reflect that," Kanson-Benanav said. "(Morales is) not trying to
be the Latino alderman or the immigrant alderman, but it's a critical
community in Somerville that really needs strong representation."

Roche,
who as alderman for Ward 1 said he represents much of Somerville's
immigrant community, stressed the aldermen work hard to make sure
everyone's views are heard.

"We represent you," Roche said.
"We're your voice at city hall. If we don't know how you feel about an
issue, we can't represent you very well."

"Our Voices, Our
Vote" continues Oct. 15 on Beacon Hill, with a panel discussion titled
"A New Era of Women in Politics" at 11 a.m. More information can be
found at cpresente.org.