Councilman Won’t Run Again : Politics: Hennes’ decision not to seek reelection to his Huntington Park seat is seen greatly improving chances for the election of the first Latino council member.

Councilman Herbert A. Hennes Jr. has decided not to seek reelection in April, greatly improving the chances that a Latino will be elected to the City Council for the first time in this city, which is more than 90% Latino.

Incumbents William P. Cunningham and Jim Roberts officially entered the race for three council seats last week. Three other candidates, two of whom are Latino, also filed as candidates in the April 10 election, a city spokeswoman said.

The incumbents and the two Latino challengers appear to be the strongest candidates. But the political odds could change. The filing deadline for the election was extended to Tuesday when Hennes decided not to seek reelection.

Hennes, 65, had served on the council since 1970. He could not be reached for comment.

Candidate Raul Perez, who has called for Latino representation on the council, said he is confident. “Definitely one of us is going to get in now,” said Perez, a loan officer who has run unsuccessfully for the City Council five times.

The other two candidates are Luis Hernandez, a financial analyst and local political activist, and Alan Kartsman, who ran unsuccessfully for city treasurer in 1988.

A prominent Latino businessman and Huntington Park civic leader decided not to enter the race. Rudy S. Griego, a former Chamber of Commerce president, said he would have been tagged a “carpetbagger.” Griego, who now lives in Granada Hills, considered moving back to Huntington Park to qualify for the April election.

Griego had obtained the endorsement of Councilman Jack W. Parks on Thursday morning, hours before he decided not to enter the race. Griego said he will support Perez, but is undecided about other endorsements.

The election campaign is expected to focus on the city’s financial problems, which forced the layoffs of 25 municipal employees last October. The council also made substantial cuts in city services, such as closing City Hall on Fridays and virtually eliminating recreation programs at two city parks.

But a strong undercurrent is likely to be generated by the lack of Latino representation on the City Council.

Perez and Griego, in particular, have said in recent weeks that a Spanish-speaking Latino would be better able to communicate with and and represent the city’s residents. The incumbents do not speak Spanish.

The incumbents also have drawn criticism because none of the city’s nine top administrators are Latino, and just two of Huntington Park’s 18 appointed commissioners are Latino.

The incumbents respond that they would have hired or appointed more Latino department heads and commissioners had there been qualified applicants.

The margin of victory between the incumbents and their Latino challengers has been narrowing over the years. Perez came closest to winning a council seat in 1988, losing by just 21 votes.

Local political observers say that Latino voters apparently are getting more involved than ever before in city politics. In 1988, for example, Latinos accounted for 53.3% of the city’s registered voters, compared to about 30% in 1980, according to an independent surveys.