Mayoral Candidates Spar Over Immigration
Jim Suttle Voices Opinion On City Budget Shortfall
POSTED: 6:22 pm CDT May 4, 2009
UPDATED: 7:00 pm CDT May 4, 2009


OMAHA, Neb. -- Both Omaha mayoral candidates are pressing their agendas just a week and a day before the election.

Jim Suttle spent Monday talking about his position on Omaha’s budget shortfall. The $6.5 million shortfall is partially caused by a decrease in sales tax revenue.

Suttle said he believes city departments will spend less if they can keep the money they save for future budgets.

He also wants to have town hall meetings to get constituents opinions on what's best.

"I want to promote this interactive process where the shareholders of this city begin to take a more constructive role in their government and have a say," Suttle said.

He said he also plans to focus on crime, gun violence and gangs if elected mayor.

Candidate Hal Daub held a news conference to criticize comments Suttle made about illegal immigration at a neighborhood meeting.

Suttle told a group that the U.S. needs to stop making criminals out of companies and out of "people, however they might come across that border."

Daub said he strongly disagrees with what Suttle said.

"My opponent's statements clearly show that he favors amnesty for those who enter the United States illegally. He wants to make illegal immigration legal," Daub said.

"Hal Daub can't have it both ways. He can't stand there and criticize me on an answer to a question at a town hall meeting. At the same time, how is he going to defend his record of not voting for the illegal immigration reform legislation?" Suttle said.

Daub did agree he voted against illegal immigration amnesty back in 1986.

The election is on May 12.



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