RSSGrandmother of ex-councilman replaces him in Wapato
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WAPATO -- Eighty-year-old Ruth Cabrera is taking over a Wapato City Council seat her grandson vacated nearly a year ago.
On Monday night, the City Council voted 5-1 to appoint Cabrera, a 50-year resident and retired store clerk.
Cabrera said in a phone interview this week that she's interested in seeing some cleanup done in town and some youth activities offered.
"I love Wapato," she said. "I've lived here all these years and now it just looks ugly, it's embarrassing."
She said she'd like to help the city reopen the municipal swimming pool. The pool and parks and recreation have gone unfunded for the past four years because of the city's budget struggles.
In approving Cabrera's appointment, the City Council passed over former Councilwoman Elvia Lopez, a 34-year-old substitute teacher who had submitted an application earlier this month.
Lopez was the only one who showed interest in the seat until a Nov. 7 story in the Yakima Herald-Republic noted the seat had remained vacant for 10 months and that she had applied.
Councilman Cuco Roa, who cast the dissenting vote on Cabrera, is accusing the rest of the City Council of handpicking Cabrera for the seat. It was previously held by her grandson, Frank Rodriguez, who resigned out of frustration in January over the council's majority support of liquor licenses in town.
Roa questioned why Cabrera applied for the vacancy just weeks after Lopez was denied. He made a motion at the Nov. 2 council meeting to consider Lopez's application, but it died for lack of a second.
"You can tell they went out and recruited (Cabrera)," Roa said. "Elvia has a masters in education and was on the council before. I'm not happy at all with the decision to put (Cabrera) in."
Mayor pro tem Tony Guzman denies any handpicking by the council.
"I don't think Ruth knows half the council," he said.
Cabrera said she sought the position after reading the newspaper article about the lack of interest among local residents.
"I went on my own. Nobody coaxed me, nobody talked to me -- nada," she said. "I'm very disappointed because I don't like rumors going around like that. If Mr. Roa didn't like them putting me in, then that's his problem."
Her appointment will allow her to serve on the council for two years. She would have to run for a full four-year term in November 2011.
Two council members have said they didn't support Lopez because her first tenure on the council was too closely aligned with former Councilman Juan Orozco, whom they considered controversial.
"She didn't get on the council because no one wants her on the council," Guzman said. "The only one that wants her on the council is Cuco. People don't like her attitude."
Lopez said the seat should be hers because she applied for it first.
"They haven't heard the last from me," Lopez said, recalling what she told coun-cil members. "I told them: 'When one of your positions comes open, I'm running for your position.' That's exactly what I'm going to do."
* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 509-577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.
I agree with Ruth Cabrera, Wapato LOOKS UGLY. If you come to Wapato, no matter what avenue, road, or street you choose, you will be welcome with GRAFFITI, ALCOHOL AND CRIME. If you do not believe me, come to my neighborhood, you are very welcome. In my opinion, Wapato needs new people to run the city, begining with the mayor. "A tree that does not produce apples should be remove it"
Report Violation"I love Wapato," she said. "I've lived here all these years and now it just looks ugly, it's embarrassing."
Ruth Cabrero, the newly appointed Councilwoman said. Of course it is embarrassing but it is much more then that, it is a disgrace and it is time that the Wapato Council be held accountable.
Unfortunately, Cabrero may have said this just to deflect the critisism of how she got on the council because her appointment has all of the makings of filling the seat specifically to deny Elvia Lopez from taking the vacant position.
Cabrero will now be expected to raise this issues with the council. If not she will be known as the appointed one to stop Elvia. She will be closely watched and pressed on this.
Nonetheless, the fact remains that the City Council is using very questionable standards on deceiding who is appointed to vacant positions.
Two council members have said they didn't support Lopez because her first tenure on the council was too closely aligned with former Councilman Juan Orozco, whom they considered controversial.
"She didn't get on the council because no one wants her on the council," Guzman said. "The only one that wants her on the council is Cuco. People don't like her attitude."
Since when is this a proper standard to judge a persons fitness to sit on the council? Should not divergent views be valued? Is this not guilt by association?
I believe it is more of a case of "DONT ROCK THE BOAT."
I believe it is more the fact that they know they are screwing up and they do not want someone on the council calling them on it.
And what people do not want her on the council. The people on the city council or the people living in the city? Management of a city should not be left up to a group of mediocer cronies that have not been able to open the pool and the Community Center for the past four years.
New blood needs to be brought in that is supported by the residents and Elvia has that support.
Phil Ferolito keeps brining up the history of past Councilman Orozco as their justification for not appointing Elvia but twice he has failed to point out that during Orozco's tenure, funds for the new community center and the new Migrant Council center were raised and the new buildings constructed.
If you review the meeting on video, you will hear Bill Nicacio, a well known activist asks Farias, "What have you done, Jessie, since you took your post, other then raise our utility rates?" That is a telling question.
I have talked to Juan Orozco about this and he said, "You know, maybe I was rash and I did not do everything right but my heart was always in the right place. I wanted to do things for the people and the community. In the years since, I have learned a lot and today, I would go about it differently."
I fully support Juan Orozco and I would rather work with him than any of the cronies on the Wapato City Council.
Yes, Wapato looks pretty nasty. Going in on one of the highways were you go past the one house on the right that has all that garbage and all the big beer bottles piled up as high as their chain link fence. What filth! How about the empty lot across the way? You know the one with all the garbage piled under the tree...the again the beer bottles and piles of garbage and tossed out appliances and furniture. What is going on? Where is the pride in that town to allow such filth to accumulate? The town needs someone in the city council to care about the image of the town. I hope Ruth gets in there and cleans up the town.
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