Activists contend that Ruben Jimenez is effective despite the political limitations of his office.

But other Hispanic leaders argue that the limits of the state Office of Hispanic Affairs, particularly under a Republican governor, make the man."This office is a community touchstone," Jimenez said, "and my success or failure is in some ways a measure of our struggle."

Jimenez, a former manager at US WEST, heads an office he says is expected to be all things to all Hispanics.

Hispanics look to the Office of Hispanic Affairs to help solve their most urgent problems: a dropout rate of nearly 10 percent, poor health care for migrant workers, gang activity, high unemployment and criminal activity.

But activists and other leaders disagree about the office's role. They want the office to press for more funding for social programs. And they argue that Jimenez, as a state employee, tugs at a short tether. He can bark, but he can't bite.

Jimenez's power is limited

"Ruben can only step out so far," said Robert Gallegos, director of the Mexican Civic Center, a community center for Mexican-Americans and others of Hispanic descent. "And when he does, he sticks his neck out. Directors who've taken stands against the administration aren't directors any more."

Other leaders argue that the strength of the office lies in its ability to champion change from within. That's the only way to make existing state services more receptive to Hispanic needs, they say.

"The activists have been shortsighted," said Michael Martinez, a Republican lawyer and former member of the advisory board that oversees the Office of Hispanic Affairs.

"Ruben is the only full-time state employee paid to serve Hispanic interests," Martinez said. "He's our insider. We have to use him that way."

An activist's philosophy colored the founding of the Office of Hispanic Affairs during the administration of the late Democratic governor, Scott Matheson. The first director, John Medina, had the title of ombudsman, which reflected the office philosophy.

"I was a public official appointed to investigate Hispanic citizens' complaints against government agencies and officials," said Medina, who now heads the anti-discrimination office of the Utah Industrial Commission.

The Office of Hispanic Affairs governing council then consisted of 14 members. Seven were elected by Hispanics in Davis, Weber, Salt Lake, Carbon, Utah, Tooele and San Juan counties. The other seven - experts in education, health, employment, housing, economic development, legal affairs and youth - were appointed by the governor.

Medina himself reported directly to the governor and could intervene on the state's behalf.

A `hands-on' kind of guy

"If I got a call from a Mexican-American who'd been beat up by a police officer, I'd notify the governor's office," Medina said. "But I'd go down and check it out myself. So I became a hands-on kind of a guy from the governor's office trying to resolve a concern."

Today, none of that's done, Medina said. "Faced with a problem like that, a director says that's not my job. I don't get involved in personal matters like that."

Most Hispanics blame the change on Norm Bangerter's Republican administration, which chucked the founding philosophy. In 1986 Martinez and others revised the Office of Hispanic Affairs guidelines. The director no longer is an ombudsman and doesn't report directly to the governor.

Now the office is under the Office of Community and Economic Development and reports to the advisory council. And the council, appointed by the governor, seats fewer activists than Hispanic lawyers and businessmen.

"They wrote community activism right out of the bylaws," Medina said.

He said the office's new philosophy is a conservative one with a simple message: "If you want something, work for it. Don't come and ask us for it."

Martinez sees that characterization as inaccurate. The problem, he said, is that the mostly Democratic Hispanic community wrongly believes that nothing good can come from a Republican governor.

"The community believes the Republican Party has been traditionally unresponsive," Martinez said. "And I agree. That's one of the reasons I'm working with the Republican Party."

The Democrats had their own problems, failing to understand principles of sound management, he said. "Their response was to put 50,000 people on a board and let them handle it."

"The governor's not going to handle our problems directly," Martinez said. "That's why he has the office."

But Martinez said the current Office of Hispanic Affairs lacks the staff, time, budget and knowledge to deal with every complaint or concern. Instead, it ensures that individuals are served by the appropriate state agency.

"We try to identify the impediments that snag Hispanics and get rid of them," Jimenez said.

Bureaucratic changes help Hispanics

The council claims some successes. Martinez credits the new council with expanding the pool of potential jurors. Before 1987, only people who were registered to vote could serve. Now anyone with a driver's license can.

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"We went to the chief of the Supreme Court, the governor, the Driver License Division and public safety," Martinez said. "And we changed an institution."

In another case, after following complaints through the mental health department, the office discovered there were no Spanish-speaking mental health workers in rural areas.

"So we began working on that," Jimenez said. "We got Hispanics in the health field on certain state boards and then pushed to get funding for the rural programs."

But these accomplishments take time and are not splashy.

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