July 23, 2008 - 7:36PM
Chandler candidates: Enforce day laborer laws

Gary Grado, Tribune
Leave it to the feds. That's the solution candidates for Chandler's City Council have for any problems day laborers might create for the redevelopment of the city's core.

The six candidates who are vying for three spots in the Sept. 2 election each said in a Tuesday forum that they want city police to enforce local laws when it comes to day laborers who wait downtown for work - many of whom are presumed to be illegal immigrants. But, they said, any long-term solutions should be in the hands of the federal government.

"Immigration is a federal issue," said candidate Dorsha Hale.

Chandler is planning to build a city hall campus at Chicago Street and Arizona Avenue, which officials hope will be a magnet for private development.

The site is at the heart of an area where a day labor center is located and day laborers gather on the street to flag down employers.

The city passed an ordinance in 2005 restricting drivers from stopping or parking in the area of Arizona Avenue between Pecos Road and Chandler Boulevard from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Candidates want Chandler police to continue issuing tickets in the area and to also enforce trespassing and loitering laws.

Candidate Rick Heumann said there is a perception that day laborers are committing violent crimes when all they are really doing is looking for work.
Heumann and candidates Jack Sellers and Tracy Buelna each said the city needs to pressure the federal government to enforce immigration laws.

Councilman Matt Orlando said he wants to wait and see what impact the no-stopping ordinance, enforcement of trespassing laws, and enforcement of state employment laws have before recommending further steps.

Candidates were also asked which City Council decisions hurt the city.

Candidates said the 2006 resignation and re-hiring of city manager Mark Pentz was a "black eye" for the city.

Orlando was part of a bloc of the lame-duck council that had problems with Pentz's performance, and he voted to accept a resignation package in exchange for Pentz not suing the city.

A new council rehired Pentz three months later.

"The important thing is the council put together an evaluation process that is working," Orlando said Tuesday.

He said he also supported Pentz in his most recent evaluation this year.
What an idiot ...

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/121455