Our Voice: The Herald suggests Martinez for Pasco council

Pasco City Councilman Saul Martinez and challenger Rick Rios both have a deep desire to serve their community, and they both want the city’s Latino residents to feel like their voices are being heard by local leaders.

What separates the two council candidates is their disposition and civic experience.

Rios is passionate about his goals. When he talks about his vision for a “New Pasco,” he emanates a fiery drive, and his focus is clearly on energizing Latino residents who currently feel disengaged from city government.

On his Facebook page, Rios said the people of Pasco are the city’s most valuable assets, and he believes that “the more involvement you can get from the residents of a community, the more prosperous that community will become.”

Martinez, on the other hand, is more like a slow-burning ember — a constant influence.

He is thoughtful and perhaps quieter than some of his constituents would like. He talks of building a continuous relationship with all people, and believes that forcing agendas can lead to dysfunction in a group.

During his time on the council, he has learned the ins and outs of city government — which incumbents tell us takes a long time to grasp — and he has a solid understanding of the city’s challenges.

While he may not be as outspoken as Rios, we believe Martinez’s influence is substantial.

We do not see a reason to replace him.

Martinez has been a steadfast public servant for over a decade — for five years as a Pasco School Board member and about seven as a city councilman. He understands the big picture and has a broad view of how to help Pasco thrive.

Rios, media director for Consejo Latino, a Latino social advocacy group, certainly wants to see change in Pasco.

He has fought for training improvements in the Pasco police department since the fatal police shooting of Antonio Zambrano-Montes in 2015. He also was instrumental in galvanizing Latino candidates to run for the Pasco City Council now that the city has gone to district-only voting for six of seven council seats.

He said he would like to see the council look more like the community it represents, with Latino residents holding a majority.

While Rios has been described as an activist, he told our editorial board he doesn’t see himself that way.

But we don’t see being an activist as a negative. An activist, by definition, is someone who works to bring about political or social change — and that can be positive force in a community. And Rios is good in that role.

Most of our discussion with Martinez and Rios centered on the disconnect between Latino residents and city officials. However, the issue of allowing marijuana stores in the city was one issue raised.

Rios said the cannabis shops should be allowed because they bring in millions of dollars, which could be a boon to the city.

Martinez is absolutely opposed to allowing marijuana stores, saying that if the state can make a law that opposes the federal government, then cities should be able to make laws that oppose the state.

These two candidates present a choice between a long-time civic leader and someone who is accomplished in the social justice arena. In this race, we recommend the former.

The Herald recommends Saul Martinez for Pasco City Council District 3.

This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Our Voice: The Herald suggests Martinez for Pasco council."