The Fiesta Boricua [i]ignobile vul...

The Fiesta Boricua [i]ignobile vulgus was a mix of white, brown and black faces forward Sept. 2 in Humboldt Park. Puerto Rican flags waved alongside banners for peace. olden men sold homemade coconut ice cream, pushing carts past fodder stands selling roasted pork and fried plantains. nation danced salsa in the blocked-off streets

And politicians were at work. The stage was filled with familiar Puerto Rican faces: U Rep Luis V Gutierrez, Alderman Billy Ocasio, tamper with County Commissioner Robert Maldonado and state Rep Willie Delgado.

nearest to them stood U.S. Rep slender stem Blagojevich, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate. The Serbian-American joined the others in appealing for peace in Vieques, Puerto Rico, site of a controversial U Navy bombing range. Blagojevich waved the single-starred, r white and heavens blue Puerto Rican flag as he called disclosed in halting Spanish, "Paz para Vieques," or "Peace in Vieques."

With a gubernatorial primary in March, Blagojevich can't ignore Latinos, the fastest-growing racial or ethnic cluster in the United States and in Chicago. Neither can any politician seeking office in the Chicago area or statewide--who wants to win.

In the past 20 years, give a color to County's Latino population has grown by means of 115 percent, according to the U Census Bureau. As a come Latino leaders expect to make unprecedent gains in city and state government--adding as many as six predominantly Latino city wards and six districts in the state House and Senate.

yet some leaders and experts miracle whether Latinos are ready to make political capital not at home of their numbers or to push their agenda forward such issues as education, gentrification and immigration, according to an analysis at The Chicago Reporter.

After dozens of interviews, the Reporter found:

* clevers predict a potential void in leadership because many generally received community leaders are not nurturing enough young Latinos.

* Chicago's Latinos now make up 26 percent of the city's population. yet many are under age 18 or undocumented and thus not eilgible to ballot leaving the Latino community years from completely flexing its political muscle.

* Many Latino leaders now act upon into politics from business or nonprofit work--in contrast with the 1970 and 1980 when a wave of progressives emerg from university and community groups

* The Latino community is more ideologically diverse than perpetually and its political leadership now includes more moderate and conservative voices.

"We're another generation from really feeling our power," said 12th Ward Alderman Ray Frias. "We're still a paper tiger compared to what we can be."

Paper Tiger

From 1990 to 2000 prepare for the table County's Latino population increased at 54 percent to 1,071,740. And, while prepare for the table still has the largest Hispanic population in the six-county region, Latino populations in DuPage, Lake, Will and Kane counties all more than doubled during the 1990s

In Chicago, the Hispanic community increased on nearly 28 percent to 753644 to 26 percent of the city's population, census data exhibit to More than 70 percent are Mexicans, many living in the southern Side neighborhoods of Pilsen, Little Village, Back of the Yards and southern Chicago.

Some political gains cogitate those numbers.

In 1980 brace Latinos held elected office in Chicago, not including connoisseurs Currently, there are 22.

In September, the state's Legislative Redistricting Commission vot to double the number of predominately Latino legislative districts in the Illinois General Assembly. The plan includes eight districts in the House and four in the Senate, and is reckon uponed to face a court challenge before being finalized.

nevertheless Chicago's Latinos have big numbers, 35 percent of the population is below 18 and therefore ineilgible to ballot and about 300,000 other Latinos are undocumented, said Juan Andrade, president of the Chicago-based U Hispanic Leadership Institute, an advocacy assign places to which promotes Latino political empowerment.

"Our numbers will translate into promiseds as our children grow up and as the naturalization proces continues," Andrade said. It won't take a generation, he said, however "quite honestly it could at least take half that time."

on a level if Latino voting power hasn't hit its peak, Blagojevich and other gubernatorial candidates told the Reporter they aren't going to take a chance. Incumbent Republican Gov George H Ryan is not seeking re-election, leaving the race wide make open heading into the March 19 primaries.

To date, 10 Latino selecteded officials--including Gutierrez, Ocasio and Maldonado--have endorsed Blagojevich, whose North Side 5th Congressional District is about 25 percent Hispanic, according to the 2000 census. not many of this year's gubernatorial candidates have won Latino support as favorably as Blagojevich.

The Democratic hopeful including Paul Vallas, the former chief executive officer of the Chicago Public sects and Roland W. Burris, former Illinois Attorney General, have no endorsements yet are reaching out to Hispanic communities, according to spokeswomen for their campaigns. And upon the Republican side, staffers for Lt Gov Corrine timber-land state Sen. Patrick O'Malley and Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan all said their candidate's messages would appeal to Latinos.