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Henriquez and supporters rally for new leadership at Roxbury fundraiser by Ashley Rigazio
MySouthEnd.com ContributorTuesday Aug 25, 2009 Dorchester challenger looking to build on 2007 second-place finish
Supporters of District 7 City Council candidate Carlos "Tony" Henriquez gathered at Slade’s Bar and Grill in Roxbury on Thursday, August 20, for a fundraiser night devoted to jazz, a few brews and a call for action.
After greeting each attendee, Henriquez, a 32-year-old lifelong resident of District 7 (Roxbury, Upham’s Corner, Egleston and parts of the South End and Fenway), took to the stage to urge voters not to accept the status quo. His aim, however, was not at embattled incumbent Chuck Turner but on nagging issues like violence, filthy streets, drugs, prostitution and a lack of city services that he said district residents have endured for too long with little to no progress.
"Just because that’s the way things are, doesn’t mean that’s the way things have to be," he said. And Henriquez, a former constituent services director for mayoral candidate Michael Flaherty, is confident that he has the City Hall contacts and experience to make things happen.
Community activist Jamarhl Crawford, a longtime friend of Henriquez, echoed that statement in front of the crowded bar, but also stressed the importance of the Dorchester candidate’s community-based approach and young, fresh perspective.
"We need people who come from outside of the political structure who gained a knowledge and the ability to work inside of the political structure to bring change," said Crawford. "Leadership is often about having your own mission and a sense of the issues and how we can get solutions, but it’s also about having your ear to the street and listening to the people."
This is Henriquez’s second run for City Council. In the 2007 municipal election-when just over 4,000 votes were cast in District 7-Turner easily won his fifth term with 81 percent of the vote. While Henriquez earned only 18 percent of the vote, he reflected on the race as a positive experience.
"We made a lot of in-roads the first time; we registered over 200 people to vote," he told South End News. "We made an impact on the younger generation, people who can’t vote, and those in their twenties, thirties and early forties. We’re really just trying to build on that momentum."
Turner, who was arrested last fall and faces federal corruption charges, now finds himself in a more vulnerable position than in 2007, facing three Dorchester challengers, Henriquez, Roy Owens, and Althea Garrison. But, Henriquez declined to attack Turner on Thursday night.
"[This race is] not about me ... It’s not about Chuck Turner or any one individual," Henriquez told the crowd. "It’s about you, it’s about your children, it’s about your family."
If elected, Henriquez pledged to tour neighborhoods with residents to view firsthand the problems they face everyday, and to strengthen ties between service organizations, Boston Police, and constituents by hosting public safety meetings.
Despite the diversity and changing demographics of the district, there is common ground throughout the neighborhoods, he claimed: "We have the same issues whether we live in the South End, with concerns about public safety and being mugged at night, or you live in Roxbury or Egleston and you can’t find a job and worry about your neighbors killing each other."
Also in attendance at the fundraiser was Henriquez’s father, Julio, a community organizer and former District 7 candidate. Henriquez’s mother Sandra is a former CEO of the Boston Housing Authority; she now works in Washington, D.C., for the Obama Administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
"We’re a family that believes in service and community," said Julio Henriquez.
In addition to his parents, Henriquez said he was inspired by South End activist Mel King’s 1983 mayoral candidacy.
"What I learned in that race, even at the age of eight, was that it took everyone, old and young, different races, different nationalities and different incomes to bring change. ... That is what I’m trying to do with this campaign," he said, recalling the actions taken by civil rights leaders to secure greater opportunities for future generations.
"I ask the people my age and younger, what do we owe? What do we need to pay forward?" he asked the audience. "I feel like it’s our turn to carry the torch."
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