Thread: Farmers Branch council candidate criticized over residency

Farmers Branch council candidate Elizabeth Villafranca criticized over residency

12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, March 26, 2009
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
ssandoval@dallasnews.com

FARMERS BRANCH – When Elizabeth Villafranca showed up at City Hall in August 2006 carrying a sign asking, "Is Farmers Branch Racist," she became the face of opposition to the city's fight against illegal immigrants.

Her outspokenness earned the scorn of those who supported the efforts, including Mayor Tim O'Hare and his followers.

Now Villafranca, 45, has become the target of the opposition again after she sold her home in North Dallas, moved to Farmers Branch and filed to run for City Council.

"My opponents are trying to paint me as some sort of political opportunist ... saying the only reason I moved here was so I could run for office," Villafranca said. "Believe me, this was not on my list of things to do before I die."

She said she was encouraged to run by some community leaders and residents.

Villafranca faces Michelle Holmes, 41, who has the support of those who favor the crackdown on illegal immigrants, including O'Hare. He was swept into the mayor's office after becoming the driving force behind the crackdown.

Villafranca's opponents hope to derail her bid for office, questioning whether she has lived in Farmers Branch for a year as required by the city. They say a deed and certificate of occupancy show she couldn't have moved into her Brookhollow Drive home until late May 2008, which would put her days short of living in the city a year at the time of the May 9 election.

The restaurant owner says she first rented an apartment in Farmers Branch before moving into her home and has met the residency rule.

City Attorney Pete Smith said the city can consider only the application for office to determine eligibility. Villafranca said in the application that she had lived in the city 10 months at the time of her filing on March 9.

"We don't go beyond the [application for a place on the ballot] unless there's some other public record that conclusively establishes otherwise," Smith said. "Since we have not been presented with that, then she is an eligible candidate."

Though she didn't have to, Villafranca submitted the apartment lease agreement to the city.

Even though it appears Villafranca is eligible to run, she will have an uphill battle, observers say. As a candidate, she is de-emphasizing the illegal immigration fight and focusing on city finances.

But she is best known for her opposition to Ordinance 2903, the ban on landlords renting to illegal immigrants. Though two-thirds of voters approved the ordinance in record turnout two years ago, the ordinance has been declared unconstitutional by the courts.

The illegal immigration issue has polarized Farmers Branch. But city officials say support remains strong even as the costs to defend Ordinance 2903 and fight other lawsuits related to the illegal immigration efforts have surpassed $1.6 million. That amount does not count lawsuit awards for about $900,000 that have not been finalized.

No candidate who has spoken out in opposition to the measures has been elected in the last two years.

Shortly after she filed for election, Holmes demurred from saying whether she supported the ordinance but said city leaders should follow the voters' wishes.

"Two years ago, our majority voted to do something," she said. "Right now, I would support our voting majority."

Holmes, an executive assistant, has the backing of most of the current popular leadership.

Villafranca hopes to move beyond the illegal immigration issue in this campaign.

"This election has nothing to do with illegal immigration," she said. "This election has to do with fiscal responsibility and revitalizing the Four Corners" shopping center.

She is also against the city's $55 million bond issue, also on the May 9 ballot. She says it is irresponsible to go into debt under the current economic conditions.

Experts say voters are unlikely to set aside the candidates' positions on illegal immigration.

Matthew Wilson, political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said it is "extremely unrealistic" to expect illegal immigration not to weigh heavily in the race.

"In local politics, you usually have a vacuum as far as other issues are concerned," he said. "Most voters don't know anything about local politics. People aren't tuned in to local political issues most of the time."

But certain topics, like illegal immigration, stir passions.

"To the average citizen, the illegal immigration question is going to have a lot more political resonance than any of these other issues," Wilson said.

And Villafranca cites the city's spending to defend the illegal immigration ordinances as the chief example of how she believes the City Council is being "financially irresponsible."

O'Hare says the illegal immigration issue is what propelled Villafranca to move from North Dallas to Farmers Branch a year ago so she could run for office.

"If she is trying to tell people she moved to the city to run for the City Council about fiscal responsibility, that may be one of the funniest lines I've ever heard," O'Hare said.

Villafranca said she has long had a vested interest in the community, where she and her husband have owned a restaurant for nine years. It's also home to the church where her daughter was baptized.

"Our livelihood depends on the good health of this city," she said. "We have more of a vested interest than any homeowner who doesn't have a business here in Farmers Branch."

Holmes, who has lived in the city 10 years, has also been active in the football and basketball booster clubs at R.L. Turner High School.

"To me, the most important issue in our city right now is economic development, continued revitalization of our homes and businesses, growing the tax base so we never have to increase taxes or we never have to cut service."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 830be.html

Villafranca has formed a " commitee " stating her efforts to lower taxes ,
i guess by abolishing our efforts to rid our city of the illegal alien criminals
here . She has posted her campaign signs in town , funny she only puts her first name on the signs , i don`t think that will work .

When Elizabeth Villafranca showed up at City Hall in August 2006 carrying a sign asking, "Is Farmers Branch Racist," she became the face of opposition to the city's fight against illegal immigrants.

Sounds like she's bringing her hate-mongering rhetoric to town, actively looking to divide the town. Politicians forget they are supposed to represent the voters and vote the way the majority of voters want them to. A politicians personal feelings are irrelevant.

Originally Posted by FedUpinFarmersBranch

Villafranca has formed a " commitee " stating her efforts to lower taxes ,
i guess by abolishing our efforts to rid our city of the illegal alien criminals
here . She has posted her campaign signs in town , funny she only puts her first name on the signs , i don`t think that will work .

I guess I need to start looking around town for the signs! Haven't noticed them yet.

I don't like that woman at all. I still remember a couple of years ago when she showed up on my doorstep, urging me to vote against the anti illegal alien ordinance.

I nicely told her to not waste her breath, as she couldn't convince me to vote against it. Tim O'Hare came by my door soon after, thanking me for sticking to my guns.

I also remember how they had every Spanish television station in town camped out at her restaurant on the day of the anti-illegal ordinance election.

There is NO WAY Villafranca will get on the city council. EVERY single effort the pro illegals have made to get elected in the Farmers Branch government has FAILED miserably. There aren't enough legal hispanics in the area who want to vote for her (or who will go vote).

Want to bet it will be a landslide win AGAIN? She's just as much as a media hog as Carlos!

Too many people know who she is around here! Go live somewhere else!

TexasGal

Well I have a feeling she won't win. I have a question for those living in Farmers Branch. I know that you voted for the laws but got resistance in court. What is the current situation? Are you renting to illegals? How is crime etc. I wish we could do something here in Ft Worth, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

The Anti-Illegal renters ordinance to this day has NEVER had one day in effect. Still in the courts, having spent over a million in legal fees to defend it. There has been talk before of taking this to the supreme court, but they may have to quit at some point.

Crime has always been low in Farmers Branch. That's why I moved here. Nice to have the cops show up in a couple of minutes.

However, hubby and I are probably moving to Plano this year, to be closer to his job and friends, and to my work options as well.

My husband and I are sick of being surrounded, on both sides and behind us, by people who are most likely illegals (there are a heck of a lot of them in FB in houses, because houses are really cheap here and FB is centrally located in Dallas). Hardly any of them speak English at all, so it's hard to even go over to tell them to turn down the music!

Loud music and shouting at all hours of the day and night, dozens of dogs left outside to bark and cry 24 hours a day, neighbors running a possibly illegal babysitting service next door (parents drive in and out of the driveway next to our bedroom window starting at 5am and sometimes until 11pm at night). Other neighbor likes to leave couches and TV's in the back yard for a week, before they put it out front for the garbage men to pick up. They also have 4 cars in the driveway at all times (barely within city ordinances), and sometimes park cars in the middle of the yard when friends are around (even though there is a large parking lot directly across the street, since there is no street parking allowed on our busy street). They always do this when the FB offices are closed, of course, so I can't turn them in! Sometimes really loud parties going on until late in the night. Have just gotten sick of calling the cops for the dogs and the loud parties.

I mean, we've HAD it! This is not a way to live, with neighbors who have no respect for you!

So, although I think FB is a beautiful place to live, I sure hate my block! Bad enough to have constant traffic speeding by on a busy street, but the horrible neighbors just takes the icing OFF the cake!

TexasGal

"If she is trying to tell people she moved to the city to run for the
City Council about fiscal responsibility, that may be one of the
funniest lines I've ever heard," Mayor Tim O'Hare said.

Have you seen the handful of signs for a city council candidate named
'Elizabeth'? Those are for Elizabeth Villafranca, and I'm sure you're
familiar with her outspoken activism on the behalf of illegal
immigrants. There's a story today in the Dallas Morning News
concerning her motivations to run for council, and her presumed
residency eligibility.

Here's the link:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 830be.html


I trust that the citizens of Farmers Branch can see through Mrs.
Villafranca's rhetoric about financial responsibility and see her for
what she is: a political opportunist looking to draw attention to
herself, and to derail the citizens of Farmers Branch's wishes to
fight illegal immigration.

Mrs. Villafranca is not the type of leader we need, or you deserve.

Tim Scott
City Council, Place One

This is an email i received today from our council rep to our citizens about " Elizabeth " ...

I finally looked and saw a few of the "Elizabeth" signs up.

No surprise that they're at the same houses that I've seen support every pro-illegal candidate or measure since I've lived in FB. It's sad that I KNOW which houses are illegal-alien supporters, as it's the same vote every time!

(But then again, my neighbors know I'm a anti-illegal alien supporter from my signs, lol).

TexasGal

TexasGal said:




(But then again, my neighbors know I'm a anti-illegal alien supporter from my signs, lol).

Mine too ...


FedUpinFarmersBranch

She went on for weeks about "let the voters decide" and when they did, she screams for a lawsuit to counter the voters.

The last 30 seconds of this video following O'Hare are the words of Villafranca and they clearly express why she would make a lowsy representative. The LULAC representative from Dallas is biased.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8HGFpbDLEQ

Dixie