Ramos no longer up for state post

Governor Ed Rendell's chosen appointee for secretary of state, Benjamin Ramos, resigned from the position on Friday, a decision that has resonated throughout the Latino community in Pennsylvania. Ramos resigned amid reports that he repeatedly filed late campaign finance reports and racked up more than $1,000 in fines as a result. He would have been the first Latino ever to hold a cabinet-level position in Pennsylvania's history. "If you look at the Spanish press and listen to the reaction of the Latino community, there is clear disappointment about what's happened with Ben Ramos," said Pedro Ramos, Penn's vice president and chief of staff. "It's especially painful when you consider [Ramos] is the first Latino ever nominated to any cabinet position," said Raphael Collazo, Northeast field coordinator for the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. "It certainly can look like a black eye from an outsider [point of view], but no one individual represents an entire group," Collazo said. "Although it's disappointing, we must keep it in context." Anamaria Cobo, director of La Casa Latina, Penn's Center for Hispanic Excellence, also expressed disappointment with the situation. "It's a sad day in politics for Latinos," Cobo said. "I don't want something like this to profile what work Benjamin has done.... People are only going to see the bad and not the good he has done." Nicolas Rodriquez, a College junior and Latino Coalition spokesperson, expressed regret concerning Ramos' resignation. "I think you're not going to get a Latino into state office without a lot of trouble," he said. "It's going to be hard for anyone in Philadelphia to gather a statewide political base, and it's doubly hard for Latinos." Born in Puerto Rico, Ramos moved to Philadelphia in the 1970s and immediately became involved in community issues. He served as deputy mayor under Rendell during the late '80s and went on to serve in the state legislature, representing the 180th Legislative District. Meanwhile, mum's the word in Harrisburg, where officials are keeping silent on the matter. "I regard Secretary Ramos highly and respect his decision and therefore, will not comment any further," said Pedro Cortes, the executive director of the governor's advisory commission on Latino affairs. Tom Hickey, a spokesman for Rendell, would only say that "the governor decided to leave the decision to Secretary Ramos, and the secretary decided to pull his name out of contention." According to reports in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ramos explained his resignation to the governor in a letter, stating that his failure to comply with filing deadlines in accordance with state election laws would make it hard for him to enforce those laws as secretary of state. He also made it clear that he didn't want his confirmation hearing to hinder Rendell in his efforts to reform the state. "The notion that this issue is affecting this administration in a serious way is absolutely absurd," Hickey said. According to Pedro Ramos, the disappointment in the Latino community is "tempered some by optimism that Rendell will still be the first governor to have a Latino in his cabinet. "Reports show that two of the names being considered are Latino," he explained. These are Maria Quinones-Sanchez, currently director of the Puerto Rican government's Philadelphia office, and Manuel Ortiz, who, like Ramos, once served as deputy mayor under Rendell.

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