Thread: Farmers Branch, Tx: Pro-Illegal Loses Election

Farmers Branch-Council Member Pl 3
Vote For 1
(WITH 18 OF 18 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
Michelle Holmes . . . . . . . . 2,536 65.85
Elizabeth Villafranca . . . . . . 1,315 34.15

WooHooooo!!! Way to go, Farmers Branch!!!

Wow! It wasn't a close one either. I love it!

I read about Farmer's Branch here on ALIPAC. I am soooo glad to hear the news for you guys. Every little win counts!

wait just 1 moment.... isn't this one of the elections the federal government was going to watch

I am sure the federal government will rule that there was Illegal activities going on and the election was much closer than it appears and there will have to be a run off... after all, winning by 120.000 + votes doesn't count and to be fair to the new arrivals they need representation so the pro Illegal candidate should be lifted into the gilded chair to rule

Michelle Holmes . . . . . . . . 2,536 65.85
Elizabeth Villafranca . . . . . . 1,315 34.15

there is a reason the federal governments paying attention to this election ... you just have to wait for the twists and turns they will bring to bare to put pro Illegals into office

By the way... the House and Senate better start working on their resumes if they sign onto the CIR .... we are looking to put them all in the unemployment line 2010 and 2012

Democrat's
Republicans
and Independents are un-employed and POed like never before as Illegal Aliens take jobs from able bodied Americans

Remember this on election day federal and State officials.... 80% of Americans have had it with the corruption in DC and in the state capitals

so pander for the other 20% votes from the Illegal Aliens and see how it works for ya.... you better learn something from Farmers Branch and local elections

The only way to achieve that result is if a large number of Latinos voted for enforcement.

Yeah, Elizabeth Villafranca was sitting outside the library voting location when my hubby and I went to vote today.

Just goes to show that although she had a million gigantic signs all over Farmers Branch home lawns (including the majority of my neighbors -- she knows by now not to even bother to come knock on my door to ask for support), she still couldn't win! (And I'm sure a bunch of the money for those signs came from her LULAC and ACLU friends).

The winners of the election probably had 1/3rd as many small signs, compared to Elizabeth's fleet of gigantic ones.

I can't WAIT to see them all go down! They've been REALLY annoying me, seeing them blaring in my face everywhere I drive around here!

I will say that there has been an impact on the Farmers Branch budget from these endless lawsuits (over a million dollars spent so far defending the original anti-illegal renter ordinance). Four of the five proposed bond packages specifically for Farmers Branch were shot down (all except the one to build a new fire station).

TexasGal

Interesting article about the big loser......errrr, Ms. VillaFranca:

Villafranca criticized over residency

01:16 PM CDT on Friday, April 17, 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."



Also, a comment following the article sheds a little light on her character:


Ms. villafranca, please update your resumee being mailed to residents. were you not voted to lead the LULAC Chapter during those turbulent days? i do not see that part in your summary of "qualifications" how long did you serve for LULAC. were you voted out or did you resign when the issue about the stolen yard signs were stolen and you had to do the deposition.... there are a lot of holes. serves as COORDINATOR for Altar Servers; how many servers? which service? Is the daughter attending relegious education or the process is not good enough? is she being also instructed by Mr. and Mrs. Villafranca..... FILL THEM HOLES!! please before you start making more!!


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





Good thing for FB this one didn't win

:P :P LULAC Looses again!!!!!!!!!!

Dixie