The New Majority: houston's minority news reader

MAYOR CAROL ALVARADO, CONGRESSWOMAN CAROL ALVARADO, TEXAS HOUSE REP. CAROL ALVARADO: No matter what office the council-lady from District I has her eye on, one of Houston's most progressive leaders is able and ready for the next step up the political ladder.

By Paul Fitzgerald Bennett

Carol Alvarado is not counting the days when term limits will force the 3-term councilwoman to give up her District I seat.

"I'm not ready to go. There is a lot more to do in my district. I know my constituents don't want to see me leave. They like the work I've done. Term limits have hurt our city," said Ms. Alvarado.

Since 2002, the "Generation X" member has been one of Houston's most vociferous leaders with an intrinsic ability to find common ground with members on the political left and political right.

"She does have the unique ability to work with people from all walks of society," said former Houston Mayor Dr. Lee Brown. "She understands people need to work together in order to get things done."

With such people skills, the University of Houston alumnus is leaving all future political office possibilities on the table.

"I'm not shutting the door on anything," said Ms. Alvarado when asked about a future run for Houston mayor. "In politics it's all about timing. I might consider something in the legislature."

One look at Ms. Alvarado's bio and you'd swear the Manchester East-Ender is working herself up to something large in the political field. Before becoming a councilwoman, she was a staff member for Dr. Brown and Congressman Gene Green. Ms. Alvarado was a consultant for economic and community development in the East End. She serves on a smorgasbord of boards from Houston Habitat for Humanity to the League of Women Voters. But without a doubt the 40-year-olds' political high thus far has found itself in city government.

What's her proudest accomplishment? "Bringing awareness on environmental and clean air issues," said Ms. Alvarado who asked Mayor Bill White to establish the Council Committee on Environmental and Public health. When the Mayor established the committee in January 2006, he named Alvarado as Chair.

In addition, Ms. Alvarado has held regular town hall meetings to provide awareness and education to East Enders on the high levels of carcinogens. She also had monitors installed in her district which track carcinogen levels. Ms. Alvarado has been involved with agreements and settlements which have brought more than $200,000 dollars to East Enders in the form of college scholarships and weatherization projects. She's also a partner in numerous community environmental health coalitions.

Such concern for the environment rears itself in Ms. Alvarado's beginnings. Growing up in the Manchester community in the 1970s and 80s, some of Ms. Alvarado's neighbors were power plants. Gases and toxic fumes were their lines of communication.

"I realized there were things happening in our back yard that we had no explanation for," said Ms. Alvarado.

So at the age of 21, the college student decided to do something to find answers to her questions. She organized Manchester and began calling companies to find out when their permits were up for renewal. Taken to task also where elected officials who did not escape Ms. Alvarado's ire when it came to oversight of power plants.

"Where I grew up has everything to do with my passion on the environment and public health," said Ms. Alvarado.

Traditional minority community concerns have also been high on Ms. Alvarado's list. As a senior advisor to former Mayor Brown, Ms. Alvarado began bridging the cultural divide between African and Latino Americans. It's one of the reasons Ms. Alvarado won her council seat in 2001. Besides the Latino dominated East End community of 4th Ward, District I also include parts of Black dominated 3rd Ward.

"When I was campaigning most people thought they were in District D. I think that was because previous elected officials hadn't taken that extra step to reach out. I wanted to make sure that people in the Third Ward community knew I was their council member," said Ms. Alvarado.

Ms. Alvarado said she is proud of political relationships she's formed with State Senator Rodney Ellis and District D Councilwoman Ada Edwards on issues such as racial profiling and hate crimes.

And then there is immigration.

"Immigration is an issue I thought I would never have to deal with as a city council member. But immigration in my community came under attack similar to the African American community during the Civil Rights movement," said Ms. Alvarado.

In 2005, Ms. Alvarado led an effort to eliminate a measure on the ballot which would have increased police authority in their dealings with illegal immigrants. A town hall meeting that year included community leaders such as Quanell X of The New Black Panther Party, Minister Robert Muhammad of the Nation of Islam, and Reverend Bill Lawson, retired minister of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

"She is a person who has always been concerned about the issues that affect everyone in our city. And we just wanted to let Carol and the Latino community know that they had our support," said Reverend Lawson.

"What I was most proud of about that meeting was a coming together of our communities. The message we got from the African American community was 'We know what you're going through. We've been there. How can we help?'" said Ms. Alvarado.

Ms. Alvarado believes the anti-immigrant community is trying to drive a wedge between African and Latino Americans by insinuating that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from African Americans.

"Which is really not the case," said Ms. Alvarado.

Some African and Latino Americans formally on Ms. Alvarado's staff are alleged to have formed another union of sorts; illegally padding their salaries with bonuses in 2006. Ms. Alvarado is quite aware that some would call into question her ability to oversee a city or state district when four members of her staff are purported to have committed wrong doing.

What's her explanation? "I'm human. I should have been more careful with some people I hired; people that I trusted. But one of the reasons I was able to overcome that hurdle (and it's not over yet) is that people in my district know how hard I've worked. They know me. They know my character," said Ms. Alvarado.

For Reverend Lawson, how Ms. Alvarado has carried herself in the recent controversy says tons about her.

"Even in that controversy, she's maintained grace. And has stayed positive without any vindictiveness," said Reverend Lawson.

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