The Latino presence in the suburban political arena will take an important role in this spring’s Municipal Elections. Eira Corral, a seventeen year resident of the Village of Hanover Park, IL and community organizer is running for the Village’s open seat for Village Clerk. With over thirty percent of Latino residents, the municipality has the tenth largest Latino community outside of the City of Chicago and has the youngest demographic composition in the Northwest suburbs.
"Hanover Park is a young, diverse, and vibrant community and it should be represented by someone who reflects the interests of the village, engages community members, and is invested in their leadership development," said Ms. Corral. "The Village Clerk is one of the first local government officials that residents and business owners have an opportunity to meet. Building a strong relationship with members that are invested in Hanover Park is essential for the growth of the Village." Latino businesses are a vital piece for the economic progress of Hanover Park, IL. The advancement of small businesses will be promoted in supporting the recently established Hanover Park Chamber of Commerce through initiatives that encourage new investment and the development of entrepreneurial skills.
Citing a need for progress that presses for open government, accountability and efficiency, Hanover Park residents have formally established the Hanover Park Progress Party to provide voters an alternative to the status quo in the non-partisan municipal elections of April 7, 2009. Inclusion is a key value for the Progress Party by connecting community members and building awareness of community resources available to residents. “We are a community represented by several taxing bodies: two congressional districts, two state senate districts, two counties, several school districts and township governments, etc. Having access to all these jurisdictions should be an asset for Hanover Park in providing residents with the best services. This can only be achieved through networking and developing strong partnerships,” states Ms. Corral.
Core issues for the Village also include Efficient Energy Solutions and Public Safety. Being a part of the Wind Turbine Alliance, Eira believes, “is the Village’s commitment to finding innovative energy alternatives by developing policies that require local action, collaboration with regional and state entities, and that have a global impact.” Supporting the Hanover Park Police Department by increasing the number of police officers to progressively meet the minimum requirements will require strategic planning that involves a review of the budgetary process and being complimented by the Crime Prevention Advisory Board, recently established by Village President Rod Craig, and community policing efforts.
Eira Corral has been active in engaging the community of Hanover Park through her involvement in local parishes and community organizations. Ms. Corral has been appointed Village President Craig to the Cultural Inclusion and Diversity Committee for the Village of Hanover Park, IL. She has worked with Centro de Información of Hanover Park, IL, in mentoring students from Ontarioville Elementary School and has been a committed supporter of the Annual Mental Health Fair. She organizes leaders in Hanover Park to coordinate community outreach events: Immigration Workshops, Consumer Protection Seminars with the Office of Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Property Tax Relief Assistance, and Surviving this Economic Crisis Symposium, among other initiatives in Hanover Park, IL.
Her professional experience has been with the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), a national, non-profit and non-partisan organization. She manages several of the USHLI Programs to develop Latino civic participation and leadership development for high school and college students, community leaders, and Latino professionals. She has engaged and trained young leaders in strategizing a voter registration campaign and Get Out the Vote campaign that has led to the civic participation for the 2008 election of over 62,000 eligible voters in more than eleven states. She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts from DePaul University with a double major in Political Science and Latino & Latin American Studies and a double minor in Community Service Studies and Commercial Spanish.
Eira Corral looks forward to representing her community of Hanover Park, IL as Village Clerk using her skills to promote leadership, inclusion, and efficiency.
- Press Release -
Contact: Eira Corral
eira_corral@yahoo.com
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