Raul Mart

By Weekly Archive On Feb 5, 2008

Raúl
Martínez, the former Mayor of Hialeah, two weeks ago announced
his decision to run for the U.S. Congress, as the representative for
Florida’s District 21. The news has caused a stir because the
charismatic Cuban-American politician has a real chance to win and
dethrone U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart. Among those who live
in Díaz-Balart’s district, voting for a change would mean the
end of an era of sterile rhetoric and the start of an agenda that
would prioritize the innumerable real problems that need urgent
solutions in South Florida.

To
write about the contributions and achievements of the mayor during
the years he served as the top figure in the Hialeah government is
not a difficult task. It is public knowledge that Martínez,
famous for his personal style, managed to reduce the statistics of
crime in that city, launched construction projects that boosted the
value of properties, and implemented programs of aid to the elderly,
down to the local level. That’s partly the reason for his popularity
and for the many times he was re-elected to his post.

But
I shall not write about Raúl Martínez’s virtues as a
public official. Nor do I intend to write about his opponent, Rep.
Lincoln Díaz-Balart. For the moment, I shall forget about the
Republican legislator’s opposition to the national health program
that would have provided medical insurance for millions of children
in the United States.

I
shall not say a word about how Díaz-Balart was an accomplice
and artificer in the implementation of the cruel restrictions on
travel to Cuba, imposed on the Cuban community in this country almost
four years ago. Today, my words will be more personal. Today, I shall
write about Raúl Martínez, the human being I know.

My
first contact with the mayor occurred almost 10 years ago. At that
time, I lived in the City of Hialeah. One day in 1998, we were hit by
one of those tornadoes that afflict South Florida. The house where I
lived was lashed by the wind and in minutes was turned into rubble. A
few minutes after the unfortunate event, in the middle of the night,
the Mayor of Hialeah appeared in the disaster area to bring aid to
the affected citizens. More than just the shelter he found for us,
Raúl Martínez’s words of consolation were gratefully
and emotionally welcomed at that difficult time.

Years
later, I found myself rendering aid, as a combat medic in Iraq.
Because of the implementation of the well-known anti-family measures
imposed by the White House, I was denied the possibility of visiting
my children in Cuba. From the Middle East, I wrote to uncountable
local and national political figures to protest against those cruel
restrictions.

At
that time, when the response of most of those people was a cold
silence, I received the first message of support — from Hialeah City
Hall. Raúl Martínez, who was in no position to change
U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba, shared my grief and that of
thousands of Cuban-Americans who were going through a similar
situation. I later learned that, on radio and television, Martínez
was one of the worthy exceptions who denounced a policy that punished
our families.

By
the end of my tour of duty in Iraq, I was in the middle of a national
campaign to visit my boys in Cuba. Finally, in October 2005, I was
able to reunite with them here in the U.S. The media reported the
news and one of the first people who phoned me to congratulate me was
the Mayor of Hialeah. I expressed to him my gratitude for his close
support.

Although
this humble story might in no way help Raúl Martínez’s
election to Congress, I chose to share it with you readers for two
reasons. One, to give a personal testimony about what this public
servant did for me and has done for our community under the most
diverse circumstances.

The
other, so that, through these pages, I could send future Congressman
Raúl Martínez my congratulations and sincere thanks. We
know that this new battle he will wage for change will end in our
shared victory in the quest for hope.