蜜柚直播

Something historic is stirring in 蜜柚直播 politics.

You can tell because people are talking about Estevan Ochoa 鈥� and he died in 1888.

Ochoa, a prominent 蜜柚直播 businessman in his time and the founder of the local public schools, was the city鈥檚 last Mexican-American mayor, elected in 1875. That鈥檚 a shocking fact, especially when you consider that white Anglos weren鈥檛 the majority of the local population until after 1900.

Regina Romero mentioned Ochoa鈥檚 name Tuesday night as she did interviews in Spanish and English after her win in the Democratic primary election for mayor. She鈥檒l face independent candidate Ed Ackerley in the general election.

鈥淭he last time we saw a Mexican-American mayor in the city of 蜜柚直播 was 1875,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淪o we have the possibility of, besides electing the first woman mayor, electing the second Mexican-American mayor in the city of 蜜柚直播 in 150 years.鈥�

Now, if Romero is elected in November, these facts aren鈥檛 going to pave the roads, hire more police or expand job opportunities. But as Romero hugged supporter after supporter during her election night party, sweating in the jam-packed humanity of the American Eat Co., it was plain to see that something more was happening than just a primary election victory.

Romero represents a historic change that is surprisingly late in arriving to 蜜柚直播. I mean, how is it possible that 蜜柚直播 has never had a female mayor when 蜜柚直播 has had four female governors 鈥� so many that it鈥檚 no longer even a big deal?

In an interview at her office Wednesday, Romero downplayed the significance somewhat, reverting to the cake metaphor that she likes to use.

鈥淭his is what I usually tell people,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose facts are just frosting on the cake. The cake is my experience, my qualifications, the vision, the issues that I care about and I stand for. That鈥檚 the cake. The frosting is the fact that we鈥檝e never elected a woman mayor in the city of 蜜柚直播.鈥�

Ackerley will probably have a hard time fighting 蜜柚直播鈥檚 long-delayed march toward making this history. But if he does succeed, it will likely be in good measure by criticizing Romero as insufficiently friendly to business and as a cog in the political 鈥渕achine鈥� of U.S. Rep. Ra煤l Grijalva.

This machine metaphor struck me Tuesday night as the happy crowd beamed with their success. People talk about a political 鈥渕achine鈥� as if it鈥檚 unfairly established to rig elections, and that may be the case in some American places and some times. But the way the machine worked this time was to organize an army of volunteers and to inspire allies in outside organizations to go out, knock on doors, make calls and send mailers.

The friendships with outside groups like Chispa AZ, Planned Parenthood and Mi Familia Vota were useful to Romero鈥檚 campaign 鈥� they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on outside efforts to benefit her run, turning her into a favorite in the race.

As the party wound down, Grijalva told me that鈥檚 what it has taken for Mexican-Americans to regain political power in Southern 蜜柚直播 鈥� organizing, making alliances, walking, working like a machine.

And while it鈥檚 mostly beneficial, he noted, candidates allied with him 鈥� candidates like Romero and Ward 1 Democratic primary winner Lane Santa Cruz 鈥� also are targeted because of their association. It鈥檚 a two-edged sword, though the machine-honed edge is probably sharper.

For her part, Romero bristled when I asked her Wednesday to respond to the criticism commonly heard outside that machine that she would be Grijalva鈥檚 鈥減uppet鈥� if elected.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 terribly chauvinistic. I think that鈥檚 not giving me credit for the brains and experience that I have,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o say that I鈥檒l be a puppet and he鈥檒l pull the strings is not knowing who I am.鈥�

It also perpetuates a history that has gone on shockingly long in 蜜柚直播.

After the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1880, the city really began to evolve out of its Mexican past, University of 蜜柚直播 professor of anthropology Thomas Sheridan told me in an email Wednesday.

鈥淏efore the railroad, the Mexican community absorbed the relatively few Anglo immigrants, who married into Mexican families and formed partnerships with Mexican entrepreneurs,鈥� he said in the email. 鈥淎fter the railroad, that bicultural, bilingual accommodation began to break down.鈥�

Anglo-American men moved in and began to dominate 蜜柚直播 business, using their access to Eastern capital to lever themselves to the top of local power, said Sheridan, author of 鈥淟os 蜜柚直播enses: The Mexican Community in 蜜柚直播, 1854鈥�1941.鈥�

People like Estevan Ochoa, who made his money in the freighting business, moved to the margins.

Now, though, the people in those margins are moving back to the center of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 story.