History will be made in Springfield, Massachusetts today where the first person of Puerto Rican descent will be elected to the State Senate.
On election-eve about a hundred people gathered in front of Springfield City Hall for the annual flag raising that marks Puerto Rican Heritage Month.
This year’s event honored Puerto Rican pioneers in local politics, who led the way for Adam Gomez, who is poised to become Springfield’s first Latino Senator and the first Puerto Rican ever elected to the 40-member State Senate.
" It is an honor," said Gomez.
Gomez, a City Councilor who represents Ward 1, which includes the predominately Hispanic North End, is unopposed on Tuesday’s ballot. In September, Gomez upset five-term incumbent James Welch in the Democratic primary. The Hampden District consists of roughly half of Springfield, all of West Springfield and part of Chicopee.
" We've shown we can get elected in other parts of the city other than just the Puerto Rican or Latino community." said Gomez.
Honored at Monday’s ceremony were Cesar Ruiz, the first Puerto Rican to win elected office in Springfield when he was elected to the School Committee in 1980; Carmen Rosa, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the School Committee in 1993; Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, who was the first Latina elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1998; and Zaida Luna, who became the first Puerto Rican woman on the Springfield City Council in 2010.
"I am so proud and honored," said Luna. "The work never stops. I'm not there anymore, but I am still working for the community."
Recognized as the longest tenured Puerto Rican office holder in Springfield was Democratic State Representative Jose Tosado. He was elected to the School Committee in 1999, became the first Puerto Rican elected to the City Council in 2003, and later the first Latino City Council President.
He recalled his parents, who were one of the first families to move from Puerto Rico to Springfield in the 1950s.
"It is because of their work and their values whatever success I've had is because of them," said Tosado.
Tosado is not running for re-election. City Councilor Orlando Ramos, who is Puerto Rican, won the Democratic nomination for the open seat in the 9th Hampden District.
Honored posthumously at Monday’s ceremony was Miquel Rivas who was the first Puerto Rican to run for City Council in 1981. He died last month. His family accepted a plaque and a U.S. Marine Corps flag presented by Gumersindo Gomez, executive director of the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts.
"He dedicated his life to serve the Puerto Rican community in Springfield...the guy who would always tells it like it was, that was Mike," said Gomez.
Mayor Domenic Sarno read a proclamation recognizing “all the positive impacts that the Puerto Rican community has had upon the social, cultural, and economic development of our city, the state, and the na tion.”
