Candidate no help for Hispanics

As a member of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, I personally know Rafael Rivadeneira. As president of this organization, Mr. Rivadeneira has not fulfilled his duties.

It seems his only reason for becoming President of RNHA was to run for state representative. In my direct dealings with Mr. Rivadeneira, he seems focused only on what's good for him rather than what's best for the organization he leads. To secure his position of president of RNHA, Mr. Rivadeneira paid the members' fee of a new chapter just before the election, and they, to no one's surprise, supported his candidacy.

Mr. Rivadeneira "buying" votes to win his presidency was just another example of Chicago-style politics. During the state Republican convention, I asked Mr. Rivadeneira to support the first Hispanic Republican candidate running for a statewide office in Illinois. Mr. Rivadeneira declined to support that candidate because the Republican Party was giving him "only crumbs."

Mr. Rivadeneira never offered to help the first Hispanic Republican running statewide, even though, as President of the RNHA, his primary responsibility is to promote other Hispanic Republicans.

Mr. Rivadeneira is running for state representative, so why is he attacking former Governor Jim Edgar, whose fiscal leadership led us through tough times? Why is he attacking state Sen. Dan Cronin, who sponsored the original tax cap legislation and was the chief sponsor of Chicago Public School reform? I'll tell you why - because neither of those individuals is supporting him.

John Aguilar

Aurora