Latino leader seeks to block Corzine cabinet official from judgeship

The former Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Action Board, Guillermo “Guillo” Beytagh-Maldonado, is building a grass-roots operation to stop Governor Jon Corzine from appointing state Personnel Commissioner Rolando Torres as a Superior Court Judge.

From an e-mail to Latino activists sent by Maldonado:

The latest scuttlebutt is that Rolando Torres has asked the Governor to appoint him to the bench. The Governor would make a grave mistake to do so.

Rolando has historically proven to not be worthy of a position where judicial temperament is required.

Approximately ten years ago, HISPAC, a statewide advocacy organization, protested the appointment of a Division of Civil Rights Director by then Republican Attorney General Poritz. It was HISPAC’s position that the nominee did not have the necessary experience and that it was time to appoint a Latino.

HISPAC had been researching the under-representation of Latinos throughout State government in administrative and professional positions and had already made some pronouncements to that effect. This malady still exists today.

After various meetings with the Attorney General, press conferences and newspaper articles, the nominee withdrew their name from consideration.

As a representative of HISPAC, I met with Rolando Torres, then Deputy Director, and asked him if he was interested in the position of Director. He assured me that he was not interested at all. Therefore, HISPAC representatives took the time and energy to do a search and provided various Latino candidates for consideration to the position. Some were interviewed.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Rolando Torres was appointed to the position of Director of Civil Rights. HISPAC representatives were furious that he had lied to them and our community. He had underhandedly positioned himself although he had not done anything in the process to deserve the position. It was like dealing with a JUDAS.

HISPAC decided to leave the matter be since a Latino had obtained the position under a Republican administration and HISPAC would look foolish to now protest Rolando’s appointment. He played HISPAC and the Latino community disgustingly.

Some time later, HISPAC was ready to file a Civil Rights Complaint claiming discrimination against Hispanics. HISPAC claimed a gross under-representation of Latinos throughout State government in administrative and professional positions and a total lack of efforts by State government to correct the situation.

HISPAC representatives were surprised when in a preparation meeting; the Director of Civil Rights Rolando Torres appeared. He stated he wanted to help, reviewed the materials and arguments, and basically took over the arguments and presentation of the complaint, in his stated attempt, to assure the case would succeed.

What a surprise, some time later, when the Director of Civil Rights Rolando Torres himself dismissed the case!

What a conflict of interest! How could he prepare the case and then dismiss it?

HISPAC concluded that when he got the position of Director, he promised the Republican administration he would derail the complaint. ¡VENDE PATRIA!

He was then sued by a Latino in the Division of Civil Rights for blackballing that employee because he was a politically active as a member of HISPAC. The employee claimed that his Civil and Constitutional Rights had been violated and won the suit. What a contradiction! By the way, the case became a landmark when the court decided that no harm had to be proven by a government employee in order to sue.

This is the type of person that is Rolando Torres. A long-life bureaucrat that not only has never done anything, but actually betrayed and hurt his own community repeatedly for personal gain.

Rolando was appointed to the position of Personnel Commissioner by Acting Governor Codey. He is a holdover in the Corzine administration.

In June 2006, Rolando and Ivette Mendez coalesced to stop the progress of our community.

At a previous meeting of the Board of Delegates of the Latino Leadership Alliance, where the Governor had some sincere interaction with representatives from throughout the State, the Governor’s office was forwarded the resume of a viable candidate as liaison to the community.

The candidate was not only being supported by the Latino Leadership Alliance, but according to sources, by Senator Bob Menendez, then Attorney General Zulima Farber, Former Assembly Speaker and future Congressman Albio Sires, and then Speaker Pro-Tempore Wilfredo Caraballo - among others. They never disavowed their support.

However, Rolando Torres and Ivette Mendez blocked the individual. According to sources, Rolando took the lead and badmouthed the candidate in a meeting.

Rolando Torres has manipulated situations in order to keep his imagined semblance of power in this administration. He has continued to make the horrendous mistake of obstructing any degree of inclusiveness of the true Latino leaders and Corzine supporters in the administration. According to bona fide sources, he has also lobbied to cut funding for Latino programs.

Shortly thereafter Rolando was contacting Latino individuals asking them what their organizations needed.