By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - In a political breakthrough for the region's growing Hispanic population, candidates of Hispanic heritage were the leading vote-gettersin the West Chester trustees race and Lebanon City Council elections.

While ethnicity wasn't at issue in their races, their successes could encourage more minority participation in suburban politics.

LATINO GROWTH

Lebanon Total population 1990: 10,453 Total population 2000: 16,962 Hispanic population 1990: 49 Hispanic population 2000: 191 West Chester Township Total population 1990: 39,703 Total population 2000: 54,895 Hispanic population 1990: 247 Hispanic population 2000: 1,095

"Absolutely. I definitely think that's a necessity, especially in the Hispanic front," said Matthew Rodriguez, 31, the top vote-getter in Tuesday's Lebanon council race.

Rodriguez's grandfather was from Mexico, but he was born and raised in the Cleveland suburbs. He also is from German-Irish ancestry.

"The name Rodriguez has always been an issue I had to deal with," he said. "Not that that's a bad thing, but I always had to make two phone calls for job interviews. I've always had to make sure my pronunciation was accurate."

There were few racial-minority candidates in this November's local elections in the suburbs of Cincinnati.

That's a big concern for political parties and voters alike. As minorities have moved into Cincinnati's suburbs in droves during the past decade, their political representation hasn't quite kept up.

But, Rodriguez notes, Lebanon voters clearly put him in office because they were impressed with his vision for their community.

"You have to commend the people of Lebanon, who look at ideals and virtues and go from that perspective as opposed to race or any other agenda," he said. "They viewed me solely on my qualifications for the city and my visions for its future."

Things are better now than they ever have been for minorities running for office, said Adolf Olivas, who is of Cuban descent and was a former Hamilton mayor and Ohio's first Hispanic mayor.

As more immigrants move into the area and become more established, he expects to see more minorities and Hispanics on the ballots.

"Certainly their numbers are stronger. They are more powerful at the polls and more of them, as they become established, personally launch out politically," he said. "We have seen that in Florida, California, New Mexico. Ohio is not an area that, up until recently, attracted great influxes of immigrants because of maybe the climate or job opportunities. Maybe because of the language barrier."

In West Chester Township, first-time candidate George Lang, who is of Cuban and Portuguese descent, won in a heated four-way trustees race.

He was born and raised in the inner city of St. Louis, but his grandmother was born in Cuba, and his mother is Portuguese.

"I would encourage not just other Hispanics to run, but I am a big believer in diversity, not just ethnicity. Religious diversity and financial diversity," Lang said. "You need leaders from all different walks of life. The whole is always greater than the sum of the parts."

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.