Irving is a residential city outside Dallas where Hispanic activistis from other parts of the metro area moved in to raise a furor about the so-called "targeting of Hispanics" in the use of the federal CAPS program in the Irving jail.


Irving elects first Hispanic to city council

by GARY REAVES

WFAA

Posted on May 12, 2010 at 3:12 PM

IRVING - Fueling the immigration backlash is a harsh new law in Arizona, and the battle appears to have led to a historic election in Irving.

Voters in Irving just elected the city's first Hispanic council member. Roy Santoscoy won his first election since he was student body president at Irving High School.

Santoscoy said he believes he can bring the Irving community together.

"The reason I feel that is the history my wife and I have here in Irving," he said. "We've been here our whole lives."

Santoscoy is the founder of the Biker Bible Study group. Every day, he leaves his upscale, gated community at Hackberry Creek and heads for gritty south Irving, where he owns Roy's Pawn Shop, which is right next door to his father's barber shop.

Santoscoy didn't win one of the new districts designed to favor minorities. He won an at-large seat representing the entire city.

"Do I want Hispanics to have a seat at the table?" he said. "You bet, and every other part of the community should have a seat. And, if they don't, we should bring them in to the process and listen to their concerns."

The newly elected council member said he is bothered by Irving's battles over illegal immigration, led in part by the council member he defeated. He said he would prefer the city concentrate on exploiting its location on Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's doorstep.

"That's our future," he said. "That's who we will be. We just have to decide are we going to embrace that or fight it and fight our selves the whole way."

E-mail: greaves@wfaa.com

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