Ex-SBA chief Barreto brings baggage on the stump for Romney

Like most tourists in this presidential campaign, former Small Business Administration head Hector Barreto brings his political baggage with him as he attempts to increase support for Republican Mitt Romney from Nevada Hispanics.

Barreto, whose tenure at the SBA during the George W. Bush administration was widely criticized and described as controversial, on Sept. 5 joined Romney’s youngest son, Craig, and Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador in addresses before the Greater Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and Hispanics In Politics groups. Barreto is the co-chair of “Juntos Con Romney,” the former Massachusetts governor’s Hispanic steering committee for the presidential campaign.

Polls indicate Mitt Romney has an uphill battle to win the votes of Latinos in the Silver State, where in recent years Democrats have made substantial inroads despite the fact Nevada’s Gov. Brian Sandoval is a Hispanic Republican.

Born in 1961, Barreto was just 40 in July 2001 when he was confirmed as SBA administrator. He resigned in 2006 after it was reported that he’d overseen more than $5 billion in SBA loans to businesses that didn’t apply for or need the government largesse. According to multiple press reports, under Barreto’s leadership in 2005, the SBA also was criticized for its slow response to act after hurricanes severely damaged small businesses throughout the Gulf Coast.

Adding to the controversy was the fact that the SBA sent billions in loans that were earmarked to aid victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Barreto’s SBA office became hopelessly mired.

The Washington Post reported Rep. Nydia Velazquez, top-ranking Democrat on the House committee that oversees the SBA, saying, “Unfortunately he was simply not up to the challenges of running this agency.”

Democratic Sen. John Kerry was more pointed.

“In the last five years, we have seen the complete and utter abandonment of our small businesses courtesy of the Bush administration," Kerry said. "It's time for a change."

One of his few allies in the House praised Barreto for having “learned to do more with less.”

His resume lists him as president and CEO of Barreto Inc. of Irvine, Calif. Under strengths: “Recognized national and international leader- strong manager, accomplished public speaker, extensive media experience, nationwide network, successful fundraiser, bi-lingual, bi-cultural, numerous awards.

Barreto once told U.S. News in a brief 2005 profile, “Business is in my blood; it's in my bones.”

He resigned from the SBA less than a year later.