Hispanic American Advisory Board dissolves, saying Curran failed to back them

The Nassau County Hispanic American Advisory Board, created to boost Latino business and employment opportunities, dissolved Thursday, citing a lack of support from County Executive Laura Curran.

But Curran administration officials said the 12-member panel, established through executive order by former County Executive Edward Mangano in 2017, serves a virtually identical purpose to a board run by the county's Office of Hispanic Affairs and that the two groups could best serve the community by merging.

Melissa Figueroa of Hempstead, who took over as chairwoman of the Hispanic American Advisory Board earlier this year, said her group is focused on the economic advancement of Latinos and has complete autonomy, while the Office of Hispanic Affairs board has a wider mission and works directly for the administration.

At a news conference in Mineola on Thursday attended by two dozen activists, Figueroa said Curran has declined to take her calls or respond to texts and emails since March — showing "disrespect" to the volunteer board.

"At this point the relationship between the board and the executive has come to a point where the members are insulted and now we are going to dissolve the board," said Figueroa, a former Hempstead school board member. "We can't function without the cooperation and continued involvement of the county executive."

In a statement, Curran said the Office of Hispanic Affairs, and its advisory board, had done an "outstanding job" representing the county's diverse Latino population.

"For the past few years they have been committed to helping guide my administration on everything from the census to the pandemic," Curran said. "But it has been throughout the pandemic that this office has been a critical lifeline to the Hispanic community."

The dispute comes as Curran, a first-term Democrat, runs for reelection in November and will seek support from the Hispanic community, Nassau's largest minority block.

At Thursday's news conference, activists carried signs declaring "We Pay Taxes Too" and "Respect Existence. Expect Resistance" and chanted "second class no more."

Mateo Flores, the former chairman of the Hispanic American Advisory Board, criticized the administration for a lack of Hispanic representation in the county's Office of Minority Affairs, which has a largely Black staff and leadership. "We have not been represented correctly and there has been no inclusion," he said.

Administration officials note that the Office of Minority Affairs board has a member from the Office of Hispanic Affairs.

In 2019, Curran announced she was revamping the Coordinated Agency for Spanish Americans, renaming it the Office of Hispanic Affairs. Curran also appoints members to the Office of Hispanic Affairs' advisory board.

"We have been diligently meeting and advising the administration which has resulted in the implementation of a robust platform of programming and services to engage and address the needs of the Hispanic community in efforts of affording equal access to all," the Office of Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board said in a statement.

Figueroa said her group, which does not receive county funding, is bipartisan and hosts cultural events, education workshops and job fairs.

"The county perceives us as an obstacle to avoid," said Figueroa, who described herself as a Democrat who voted for Curran. "But we will go nowhere. We will remain a constant presence in this county and beyond and we will make our voices heard."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.