Maggie Rivera Elected LULAC National President For 2014 By Convention Delegates

Roger C. Rocha Jr. and Maggie Rivera

LULAC members at the National LULAC Conference in New York elected Rivera as their new President.

By H. Nelson Goodson

July 14, 2014

New York, New York - On Saturday, Maggie Rivera of Crystal Lake, Illinois was elected as the new National President for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) at the 85th National Convention. Rivera was the treasurer for LULAC National.

The election was postponed on Saturday by Luis Vera, the appointed Election Judge by outgoing LULAC National President Margaret Moran. Moran and Vera were accused of attempting to keep Rivera from getting elected, so the Executive Committee could keep the current positions. But Vera failed to adjourn the convention Assembly and the delegates continued with the election process, which was witnessed by other respective long time LULAC Board members. Vera decided on a long recess, while a second judicial order to cancel the election would be filed in a New York court, but no decision by a judge was rendered to stop the election during the Assembly voting process.
At the convention, registered delegates were required to have a photo ID to vote, which the National LULAC By-Laws don't require one. It's the first time, LULAC voting delegates had to show an ID to vote. Mora and Vera attempted to suppress the vote at the convention this year, according to delegates.
Rivera received 60% of the delegate vote and defeated Roger C. Rocha Jr., according to the Editor, "Voice of the Mainland" and Dennis A. Montoya who posted the results on the LULAC New Mexico Facebook account.

Montoya who is the New Mexico LULAC Executive Administrator and Chair of the New Mexico LULAC Civil Rights Committee told Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) that, "The election was not postponed. The faction that was in power attempted to cancel the election altogether, but veteran LULAC members who know the bylaws well took control and a quorum of convention delegates remained after the attempted adjournment. The convention continued and Maggie Rivera and other national officials were elected. In other words, an attempt at installing an non-elected "dictatorship" was averted."
On Saturday, LULAC National had announced in a news release that it had postponed the National Elections due to a court order and failed to mention that Rivera had been elected LULAC National President.

Montoya posted on Sunday the following report of what had transpired on Saturday, "Luis Vera was the Election Judge, appointed by Margaret Moran... who took some time to take the podium, finally getting there at 12:33 p.m. His first order of business was to recess the convention until 2:30 p.m. A New York state court had issued an injunction that prohibits the National President and the Legal Advisor from issuing any legal opinions during the course of the Assembly. At around 2:20 p.m., before the full Assembly returned, Luis Vera, the Election Judge, took the podium and without re-convening the Assembly, announced that the Convention of the Assembly was cancelled. This was around 2:20 p.m. The Roger Rocha delegates did not return. The Maggie Rivera delegates did return and continued the meeting.

"With no elections, this would mean that the existing Executive Committee would continue for another year, appointing replacements for termed out officers. The Machine had plans to remain in power, like they did in San Antonio, when they closed down the convention by making the false claims of a riot. The Editor thought that they would try something sneaky. Who would ever think that they would be so blatantly low? The shouting started, "Chapuseros, Chapuseros, Chapuseros...." Vera and the Machine was stealing the election from in front of the very noses of over 900 Maggie Rivera delegates and Vera thought that everybody was just going to go home and call it a day.

"Luis Vera left thinking that the delegates would leave. The delegates stayed.

"Ray Mancera, a former National Parliamentarian of LULAC took the floor and instructed how the delegates present could continue the convention using the language of the LULAC Constitution.
"With a majority present from the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee convened and elected Baldo Garza to serve as interim President. Baldo Garza then appointed Belen Robles as Election Judge. The Credentials report was approved noting that 1,625 delegates were certified. This report had been read out earlier in the morning citing the number of delegates that each council had. This is the 1,625 number that was noted as the first certification of the delegates. Next, Belen asked for the adoption of the Rules Committee report. This report was adopted with Rule 5, the reference to the Legal Advisor, being stricken.

"A count of the delegates present noted that we had 825 delegates present, more than a majority to constitute a quorum. Belen then proceeded with a vote for the officer positions," Montoya posted.

LULAC National Convention Assembly and officers elected for 2014.

Elected by the delegates were: 

National President

● Maggie Rivera - elected
    Roger Rocha

VP for Women

● Elsie Valdes - elected
    Loudes Galvan

VP for Southwest

   Tomas Esparza
● Baldomero "Baldo" Garza - elected

Treasurer

● Juan Carlos Lizardi - elected

VP for Elderly

● Lucy Arce - elected

VP for Young Adults

● Stanley de la Cruz - elected

VP for Youth

    Blanca Vargas
● Anna Estrada - elected

VP for the Midwest

● Daryl Morin - elected

VP for the Farwest

● Benigno "Benny" Diaz - elected

VP for the Southeast

● Evan Quinones - elected

VP for the Northeast

● Ralina Cardona - elected

VP for the Northwest

No election - no councils

2015 National Convention

Utah - Selected

2017 Convention Site

San Juan, Puerto Rico - selected

The reports of the Amendments and Resolutions were suspended until the first meeting of the LULAC National Board.
The Assembly adjourned around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, the Editor and Montoya reported.