Illegal immigrant measure had role in Escondido vote

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/poli ... cvote.html

By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

November 9, 2006

ESCONDIDO – Dick Daniels figures he knocked on about 1,500 doors in the city campaigning for one of two spots on the City Council.

It paid off.

He and incumbent Marie Waldron were decisive victors in the seven-way race Tuesday.

What was the deciding factor? It's hard to say. Waldron and Daniels were the only two candidates who supported the controversial illegal immigrant housing ordinance passed last month by a divided council.

Daniels said the ordinance was just about the only thing people behind those doors that he knocked on wanted to talk about, especially in recent weeks.

“They didn't ask about the General Plan, or traffic, or the new hotel,” Daniels said. “They asked about the ordinance. It was what was on their mind.”

“Certainly it was a factor in some people's decision,” Waldron said. “But I also think many people looked at the records of the candidates. I think they looked at the whole picture and saw where the city is going.”

Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler said she is absolutely sure the debate over the ordinance had a big effect on the election.

Pfeiler won re-election to her third term with a decisive 59 percent of the vote. Her opponent, former councilman Tom D'Agosta, polled about 41 percent.

Pfeiler has been a popular mayor and two months ago was viewed as being an overwhelming favorite.

But she and outgoing Councilman Ron Newman cast the dissenting votes when the council voted 3-2 to pass the illegal immigrant ordinance. Pfeiler said she thinks that cost her as much as 15 percent of the vote. At first uncomfortable with the new law, D'Agosta in the closing weeks of the election embraced it.

Daniels said he thinks many voters saw through D'Agosta's late change of heart, viewing it as political.

Daniels said he was thrilled Pfeiler won because she's been a great asset to the city. “I was heartened by her victory,” he said. “I couldn't be happier for her.”

The new council, which will be sworn in Dec. 7, will havefour members who support the ordinance, leaving Pfeiler the lone opponent.

She called that prospect “miserable.”

It means there will be no move to repeal the law, which the mayor has described as inhumane and unnecessary. The ordinance is being challenged in federal court and could end up costing taxpayers hundred of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Pfeiler said the ordinance has “taken on a life of its own.” She said she hopes to now concentrate on somehow bringing the community together. There is a racial divide in the city, she said, that will take time and effort to bridge.

The results in the council race showed Waldron receiving the most votes, just shy of 30 percent, followed by Daniels, who got 24 percent.

Coming in a distant third was Olga Diaz, the most vocal opponent of the ordinance. She got almost 16 percent, followed by Elizabeth Gabrych's 9 percent, Darol Caster's 7.6 percent, Erik Richard's 7 percent and Carmen Miranda's 6 percent.