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City grapples with illegals
By: Jamie Ward
JWard@News-Herald.com

10/29/2006

Immigration issue is a hot button in Painesville


Painesville City Council President William J. Horvath has sent countless letters to people and organizations on behalf of the city since taking the post three years ago.

But when Horvath sent a letter in February supporting Painesville's Hispanic community to U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, Horvath did not expect the uproar.

"I'm tired of being crucified," said Horvath, who is now at the center of a local illegal immigrant debate fueled by the national one.

The letter, which all seven City Council members received before it was sent, was written by Veronica Dahlberg, president of Hispanas Organizadas de Lake and Ashtabula, a Hispanic organization based in Painesville.

When Congress debated immigration legislation in Washington, Dahlberg requested Horvath speak on behalf of the local Hispanic community.

"The Latino community, both documented and undocumented, has become an integral and valuable part of Ohio and its economy," the letter states. "They (Hispanics) are our friends, colleagues and family members, and are a vital and an important part of our lives. Yet, many are forced to live a life 'in the shadows.' "

City residents soon sent letters of their own - to Horvath, expressing displeasure that the city made comments with which they did not personally agree.

Four months later, with pressure from residents and other council members, Horvath retracted the letter and its statements.

"Subsequent to the mailing of the correspondence (letter), I realized that the correspondence should not have been sent," Horvath wrote to DeWine.
But even after that retraction and public apology, residents like Angelo Cimaglio of Owego Street continue to speak out at meetings.

"How much more do I have to explain?" Horvath said emphatically to Cimaglio.

"I have apologized three times in council. What more do you want?"
And frequent speakers like Anthony Torre wrote in a recent letter to the editor published by The News-Herald, "I'm 80 years old, born and raised in Painesville. We don't need drug dealers, terrorists or employers who are not deducting proper taxes before paying these employees."

Growing influence

These types of exchanges make Painesville a reflection of the larger national debate: What to do about illegal immigration?

The country's population is estimated to have surpassed 300 million two weeks ago, and immigrants and their children have fueled much of that growth.

Since the population reached 200 million in 1967, 55 percent of the growth has come from immigrants, their children and their grandchildren, according to a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization.

Today, Hispanics make up nearly 15 percent of the population, which is more than blacks, who make up a little more than 13 percent.

In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Painesville's Hispanic population at 2,256, which is just less than 13 percent of the city's population.

At the same time, Lake County's Hispanic population was listed at 3,879, or 1.7 percent.

Speaking out

Washington Street resident Selma Hall is among residents who have taken offense to what she feels is the city's embrace of the Hispanic population.

Hall was so angered by the city's support of the Latino Festival in September, she asked for the resignation of Lee Homyok, the city's recreation director.

She also asked the city to remove the disclaimer on City Council agendas that says, "The City of Painesville does not discriminate against ... non-English speaking persons."

"I'm not against Hispanics that are here legally," she said. But she is against illegal immigration.

"If I agree with you breaking the law, I'm just as guilty as you are."
She viewed the Latino festival as an event that separates people rather than brings them together.

Hall claims to speak on behalf of many Painesville residents too afraid to speak up about Hispanic-related issues.

"One hundred percent," Hall replied when asked if others in the community share her viewpoints.

Dahlberg believes comments from residents at council meetings are generally the minority's point of view.

She rarely speaks in direct opposition to residents.

"I'm used to it," Dahlberg said. "I've developed a thick skin - with seeing what's on TV and what's going on in the country.

"I wonder why people are so preoccupied with somebody's status - whether they have a paper or not. These people have families and are working to contribute to society."

Dahlberg has always attended ethnic festivals, and she said the Latino festival was a success for the city, drawing nearly 2,000 people without incident.

Dahlberg also believes Painesville's demographics have changed.
"It's just that today's immigrants have brown skin. It makes people think we are taking over," she said. "It's an easy group to pick on. They're vulnerable and cannot defend themselves. It's like at school when a bully picks on the weaker kid."

No habla Español?

Hall proposed making English the official language of the city - a measure supported by at-large councilwoman Arlene L. Becks.

In a Painesville newsletter, Becks wrote, "We Americans must keep the major language as English and those who choose to live in America must change their language to English. Illegal immigrants must become documented legal citizens and live by the laws of the United States."

She points to stores in the city that have Spanish-only-speaking employees as a communication barrier for city residents.

"They should be able to learn our customs," Becks said.
Horvath disagrees.

"Many of their parents and ancestors could hardly speak English, and they got a job, and they were working," Horvath said of some disgruntled residents. "My grandparents couldn't speak English. They were from Hungary."

Born and raised in Fairport Harbor, Horvath said he witnessed an influx of immigrants while growing up.

"They worked hard, just like today's Hispanic population," he said.
The Rev. Steve Vellenga of St. Mary's Church in Painesville deals with the city's Hispanic community on a daily basis.

"We have language classes that people attend faithfully," he said. "There is some tension, even in our own parish. People say 'Why can't they learn English?' And I say, 'They would love to learn English. They want to become as much a part as they can.' "

While he concedes the issue of illegal immigration is a political one, Vellenga said he deals with all church members the same way.

"When they come to church, I see people as Catholic," Vellenga said.
"If you're Catholic, I don't start asking questions if you're documented or undocumented."

Vellenga, who is bilingual himself, says he has a great ability to communicate with the Hispanic community in Painesville because of his church's congregation.

He estimates St. Mary's has 500 Hispanic members, and says two-thirds of the church's baptisms this year have been done in Spanish.

The church has held a Spanish-only Mass Sunday nights since 1992, and a bilingual Mass for the past four years.

Crackdown on hold

In July, Hazleton, Pa., was one of several cities to pass laws around the country to crack down on illegal immigration in their communities.

The law included stiff fines, up to $1,000 a day, for landlords who rented to immigrants without papers.

That ordinance is on hold after lawsuits were filed by opponents like the American Civil Liberties Union.

Painesville Law Director Joseph Gurley has issued a memorandum to council recommending the city wait six months before any action is taken on the language issue, because of other lawsuits that are being decided by the courts.

City Council members Robert Fountain, Joseph Hada, Abby DelaMotte and Paul Hach were asked to give their views on any Hispanic issues the city may be facing - but none returned calls to The News-Herald.

Ward 1 Councilman Andrew Flock disagrees with making English the city's official language, but would like to see the city do more to prevent illegals from living there.

He was opposed to Horvath's letter, saying it was not brought to his attention until after it was sent.

"They're taken advantage of," Flock said of illegal residents. "The city is very diverse, and we're blessed to have the Hispanic population, but 'legal' is the key word."

He wants the city to start a rental housing inspection program and, like the Hazleton law, penalize landlords who rent to illegal immigrants.

In March, Jim Zampini, chief executive officer of the Lake County Nursery Inc. in Perry Township, told The News-Herald: "They're (Hispanics) taking the jobs in the trenches that Americans just don't want to do. Without this core group of Latinos, it would be like the U.S. Army not having an infantry."

But Flock disagrees with that assessment.

"I don't buy that. If they made a decent wage and had medical coverage," more American workers would take those jobs, he said.

He thinks the city is afraid to lose the dollars that immigrants spend within the city.

"The only green card they want to see is a George Washington or a Benjamin Franklin," Flock said.

Charles B. McDonald sells real estate and has 26 rental properties in the city.

He said most of the city's Hispanic population are hard workers, but fears Painesville will face problems in the future.

"It's the city's duty to figure out who's legal and isn't legal," McDonald said. "We don't want a bunch of illegals. The language will change. Our heritage will change."

McDonald maintains he does not rent any property to illegal immigrants by running Social Security numbers, credit reports and criminal records of all interested tenants.

"If they're illegal, it's a crime. They're taking up our jobs," he said.

"I don't have a negative perception of them, but there is a process and a right way to do things. That's why they call them illegal - because they're against the law. If we don't start enforcing our laws, what the hell kind of country do we got?"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.