2 Latinos find success at polls

Candidates elected to city council seats in Snellville, Roswell.

Roger Mármol and Marcelo Zapata, two of the seven Hispanic candidates campaigning for public office within the 10-county metro Atlanta area, were victorious in Tuesday’s elections.

Mármol, a 28-year-old history and political science major at Oglethorpe University, was elected District 2 councilman in Snellville. He received 1,469 votes, or 63 percent.

Mármol, who is of Cuban and Dominican origin, began his door-to-door campaign in May to learn about the main issues affecting his community, which is 7.4 percent Hispanic, according to the 2010 Census.

“Traffic is what bothers our residents the most, which is why attending to it will be a priority. After that, I propose building a downtown for the city, because we don’t have a space that identifies and unifies us. My vision is of a different looking downtown, far from just having big stores,” said Mármol, whose first day in office will be Monday.

For his part, Zapata made waves by becoming the first Hispanic councilman in Roswell’s 161-year history. The Argentine businessman, who specializes in wine sales, was elected to the District 2 post, with a total of 4,044 votes, or 57 percent.

Zapata beat out current councilman Rich Dippolito. According to Roswell election records, it is the first time in at least three decades that an incumbent has been defeated by a new candidate.

Zapata has lived in Roswell for 15 years. He said when as- suming his post on Jan. 11 he will work to put a stop to the Unified Development Code, a municipal ordinance that addresses contemporary development and zoning practices.

“UDC is detrimental to the quality of life of Roswell residents, because uncontrolled construction will bring more traffic to the city. We want Roswell to maintain that air of tranquility and calmness that has always characterized it; that’s why we are opposed to these laws,” explained Zapata.

In addition to Roswell and Snellville, the Georgia Associa- tion of Latino Elected Officials also noted that two other Latinos in Dalton and Hiawassee won elections.

According to Jerry González, director of GALEO, the addition of four new Latino officials in Georgia clearly demonstrates that “the Latino community is growing more and more important in our state.”

“At GALEO we have a leadership institute where we have trained community leaders and Hispanics in general so they can recognize the importance of our community’s representation in government positions and obtain the necessary tools they will need to apply in government should one of them become an elected official,” said González.

MIGUEL MARTINEZ / MUNDO HISPANICO Marcelo Zapata votes Tuesday at Hillside Elementary School in Roswell. Zapata defeated an incumbent to become the first Hispanic council member in Roswell’s history.