Allen changes stance on citizenship oath
By Mary Yeater Rathbun
Mayoral candidate Ray Allen has changed his position on requiring signed statements of citizenship to get city services on the heels of sharp criticism by local Latinos.


Last month, the biweekly newsmagazine Capital City Hues reported this response from Allen to a question about access to city services for undocumented workers:

"Shrinking resources and growing demand from in-migration is a problem we can no longer afford to look the other way and not address. Government's first obligation is to our citizens and documented workers. Proof of Madison address and signed statement of citizenship or documentation should be required to utilize any city of Madison goods and services or pay market rate at the time of service."

But Tuesday on his campaign Web site Allen said, "After consulting with Peter Munoz and others from the (Latino) community, we have updated our thinking ... Signed statements of citizenship are an undue burden to consumers, businesses and local government."

In between the two responses, a firestorm of outrage and impassioned defenses flowed across the Madison LuCha (Latinos United for Change and Advancement) e-mail listserv. The interchange of comments on Allen's position has been particularly active this week.

Munoz is the director of Centro Hispano, and he finished third in the Feb. 20 mayoral primary behind Allen and incumbent Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. Afterward, Munoz threw his support to Allen and has been one of Allen's most effective defenders in the recent e-mail thread.

Munoz said in a Tuesday e-mail referring to the Capital City Hues comments, "Ray's campaign must have made a mistake when that statement was made because it surely does not reflect Ray's opinion on undocumented immigrant workers. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Ray has even gone as far as making a commitment to help undocumented workers obtain immigration status and assist them on their path to citizenship."

Today, Allen spokesman Semmi Pasha contrasted Allen's record on the Madison School Board with Cieslewicz's record while he was on the Dane County Board prior to becoming mayor. Pasha said Allen's "support for ESL programs, Nuestro Mundo, pushing the building trades to diversify their work force and supporting a bilingual resources specialist position in (Madison schools) are all positions that he worked to see passed and they have made a direct impact on the lives of many Madisonians. I think with a record like Ray's, a record that's over a decade long, it's hard to argue that Ray 'just realized' the Latino community 'matters.' Can anybody tell us what Dave was doing for the community 10 years ago? Was he doing anything for the community before he ran for mayor in 2003? What can Dave point to during his time on the County Board that shows strong support for the community?"

Mayoral spokesman George Twigg said Tuesday that Cieslewicz's position had not changed from his response to the same Capital City Hues Feb. 7 question about the extent to which undocumented workers should be allowed access to city services.

Cieslewicz said, "City government should take a compassionate, common-sense approach to this issue. By and large, undocumented workers are productive, law-abiding members of our community who are simply looking to create a better life for themselves and their families. If there are city goods and services that can help these individuals lead stable, productive lives that contribute to our community, we should make them available."

LuCha President Salvador Carranza started this week's volleys just a little after noon Monday. He had just received a Monday afternoon e-mail from the Allen campaign. Carranza, who supported Munoz in the primary election, said, "I heard that Ray Allen said that in his opinion, undocumented families shouldn't receive any services from the city whatsoever. That only 'citizens' should be served by the mayor and the city of Madison. If this is the case, I am outraged!!! And I can't understand how anybody who cares for our Latino community can promote a person that on one side of his mouth talks about economic opportunity for all, and on the other uses the same anti-immigration rhetoric that his Republican allies and right-wing zealots use. How could we ever support someone who rejects the rights of our people? We know where Mayor Dave stands, because he stood with us at the steps of the Capitol giving a voice to our community. It is now our chance to stand with Mayor Dave for re-election."

E-mail: mrathbun@madison.com
Published: March 21, 2007

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