Councilman Who Led Immigration Measure To Run For Mayor


UPDATED: 4:51 pm CST January 24, 2008


FARMERS BRANCH, Texas -- The councilman who pushed his Dallas suburb's efforts to pass one of the country's most sweeping anti-illegal immigration measures is running for mayor.

Tim O'Hare, a 38-year-old first-term city councilman and personal injury lawyer, announced his candidacy Thursday for the May election on his blog. O'Hare was elected to the council of this city of about 26,600 residents in 2005.

"Thank you for allowing me to serve you over the past three years," O'Hare wrote. "I hope you will allow me the honor and privilege of serving you as Mayor for the next three."

O'Hare began pushing for new laws in 2006, steering Farmers Branch into becoming one of the dozens of cities nationwide to approve rules targeting illegal immigrants.

Council members unanimously passed a November 2006 ordinance barring apartment rentals to illegal immigrants. The rule was revised last year to include exemptions for minors, seniors and some mixed-immigration status families. Residents endorsed the law 2-to-1 in May during the nation's first public vote on a local government measure meant to combat illegal immigration.

A federal judge blocked Farmers Branch from enforcing its ordinance after finding that city officials tried to regulate immigration differently from the federal government. The case remains in court.

The council approved a new law Tuesday to require prospective tenants to get a city license to rent houses and apartments. It would take effect 15 days after a ruling on the ordinance currently being contested in court.

Nationwide, some 55 local governments have approved rules on housing, employment and language aimed at illegal immigrants, according to the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, which tracks the information.

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