Thread: English voted official language of Summit town

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English voted official language of Summit town
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Steve Luttner
Plain Dealer Reporter
Norton- You may want to avoid Norton City Hall if you no habla inglés.

The City Council passed a resolution this weekdesignating English as the official language. The resolution urges all municipal documents be written only in English.

Some officials say the resolution will make little difference in this small Summit County community where U.S. Census figures show nearly 98 percent of the residents were born in the United States and about 96 percent speak only English at home.

But the measure has sparked friction between those who support it and others, such as Norton Mayor Joseph Kernan, who said Tuesday that he may veto it.

"I don't think it's a good thing," Kernan said, calling the issue a distraction that is taking time away from more relevant issues. "I can assure everyone that we do everything in English. It's not like we are wasting thousands of dollars printing forms in two or three languages."

Councilman Bill Mowery, who sponsored the resolution, said he can't understand why anyone would oppose it.

"It seemed to me like a no-brainer," Mowery said. "Mom's apple pie and the American way."

He said his inspiration for the resolution came from Norton resident George Tomko, a World War II veteran and self-described City Council watchdog.

Tomko said it bothers him to go to stores and see bilingual signs.

"I have nothing against Spanish-speaking people," Tomko said. "The United States is where we speak English."

The so-called "English only" movement had at one time been largely concentrated in the southwestern part of the United States, where large numbers of Spanish-speaking people live.

But a spokesman for U.S. English Inc., a Washington, D.C., organization dedicated to making English the official language, said the issue now often touches people throughout the nation.

"It has long been the expectation of Americans that immigrants coming to the U.S. should learn English," said Tim Schultz, spokesman for the group that claims 1.8 million members.

Schultz said national polls have shown widespread public support for designating English as the nation's official language. He said local communities such as Norton usually don't enact such laws, leaving it for larger governmental entities. He said 27 states have some form of legislation that recommends English as the national language.

Ohio does not have such a measure. Efforts to pass such legislation several years ago were opposed by then-Gov. George Voinovich. There is a bill pending before the Ohio legislature that would declare English the state's official language.

Scott Pelot, a Norton city councilman who voted against the English language resolution, said that in the beginning it seemed as if the measure was a well-intended attempt to pay homage to American soldiers.

"Somewhere along the way, people lost sight of what the legislation originally stood for," Pelot said. "It got twisted to the point where we were almost discriminating against our fellow man. I would hope that those who move here from foreign lands have enough respect for our country to learn the English language and I would also hope those who live here would show a little more compassion for their fellow man, for it is an ever-changing world we live in."

Well, that is good news, the State Congressman, from Hamilton Ohio has a bill that was just introduced. To make English the official language of OHIO. I am putting daily pressure on the one, from my District to back that bill and I have all my neighbors on board.