WEST VALLEY CITY — When West Valley City leaders hired a Mexican citizen in December, they believed he would help Latino residents feel more comfortable with city government and programs.
They didn't know they'd hired a serial hugger.
Whenever Enrique Sosa leaves a city meeting or heads out the door to meet a Latino community leader, he hugs fellow staffers and bids them farewell. He even offers besos ?— cheek kisses — to people he's just met.
Those customs at first made West Valley City workers uncomfortable, but they quickly became accepted as part of Sosa's amiable nature.
Out in the community, Sosa befriends children and families, does radio spots and — most importantly — hands out business cards to everyone he meets.
West Valley City hired Sosa, 29, in December as part of a three-year internship. The city hopes to use Sosa, who comes from sister city Boca del Rio in the Mexican state of Veracruz, as a liaison for the local Latino community.
"He understands everything … and obviously is prepared to help," said Luis Calquin, who ran into Sosa at a recent rally regarding Utah's SB81. "When the people need him, he is always there. I've heard very good things."
Sosa holds the official position of Hispanic neighborhood services specialist. He's operating under the umbrella of the newly created community preservation department, which aims to improve the city's image and clean its streets.
The cheery man with milk chocolate eyes and a ready smile paid his way to work in the United State, said West Valley City communications director Aaron Crim. Sosa is continuing his studies while working in the U.S. and will soon complete master's degree requirements in international relations.
Sosa visited West Valley City years ago as a regional director of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and noticed there was a communication problem between the city and its Latino residents, he said. That cultural understanding gap was more significant than the language barrier.
For example, many Latinos do not trust police officers or other officials because they are accustomed to widespread corruption in their countries of origin, he said.
Latinos can also fail to understand code enforcement and licensing rules, so they butt heads with their neighbors, Sosa said.
"In our countries, those rules don't exist," he explained.
The Mexican National has planned a series of classes, in Spanish, about the basic services of city government.
Sosa also answers several phone calls daily from Hispanic West Valley City residents. In his few months in Utah, Sosa has already heard about domestic violence, children who threaten their parents over immigration status and gang violence.
Without Sosa, those issues may have been ignored, Crim said.
About 30 percent of West Valley City residents speak Spanish or Spanish Creole, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of the city's 109,000 people, about 22 percent are foreign born and 15 percent are not U.S. citizens.
Sosa wants to encourage all of those people to integrate into the community and speak English, but he said there may be a 10- to 20-year gap.
He also wants English speakers to be less fearful of immigrants.
"We all treasure the safety of our kids, (and) we all want the best for our families," Sosa said. "In every culture, we have that. I know they have the will to do that. It will enrich the community of Utah."
City services in Spanish
West Valley City had planned to translate official documentation from English to Spanish. However, it did not receive a hoped-for grant from Salt Lake County.
Instead, city Latino liaison Enrique Sosa is translating the most important documents in his spare time.
Sosa is also holding classes and organizing celebrations for Spanish speakers. The sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. every third Thursday at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South.
West Valley is also planning a Fiesta at the Cultural Center, focused around Cinco de Mayo. The celebration, set for 6 p.m. May 30, will include live performance plus food and art. The new mayor of Boca del Rio plans to attend the event.
For more information, visit www.wvc-ut.gov or call Sosa at (801) 963-3297.
E-MAIL: rpalmer@desnews.com