Thread: NJ: Mayor's assault on sign goes national

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qst ... VFRXl5Mg==

Mayor's assault on sign goes national

Monday, July 24, 2006

By BRIAN ABERBACK
STAFF WRITER



If you did any television channel surfing in the past couple of weeks, you had a pretty good chance of spotting the outspoken mayor of one of Bergen County's smallest towns.

Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan has been a fixture on the national talk show circuit since he demanded two weeks ago that McDonald's replace a Spanish-language billboard in his town with an English version.

Lonegan, mayor of the 0.76-square-mile town since 1996, has been on NBC, Fox News, CNN and CNBC and has appeared on several local and nationally syndicated radio programs.

He didn't make it to "The Tonight Show," but host Jay Leno weighed in, musing in a monologue last week that the borough shares its name -- though not its pronunciation -- with the capital of Spanish-speaking Colombia in South America.

A proponent of strict immigration laws, the Republican mayor claims that the River Road billboard advertising iced coffee is divisive because it sends a message that immigrants do not need to learn English or assimilate within the community. Lonegan, known for his blunt manner, has characterized the billboard as a "racial profiling marketing campaign."

By commenting on an issue that people relate to the highly emotional topic of immigration, Lonegan has set off a fierce debate. Hundreds of e-mails, letters and voice mails on both sides of the issue from people in a dozen states have poured into Borough Hall.

Some Bogota residents aren't happy about the town's newfound fame. They say that Lonegan's conservative views, and his willingness to candidly share them with the country, leads to the perception that Bogota is an intolerant, immigrant-unfriendly place.

"I cringe when I see the headlines," said Allison Gandolfi Bookspan, a third-generation resident. "[The mayor] is bringing shame and embarrassment to everybody in town."

Jessie Frias, a resident and real estate agent in town, said most of the families moving into Bogota are Hispanic. She estimates that nearly 40 percent of the borough's 8,249 residents are Latino, up from 21 percent in 2000. But Frias, who is running on the Democratic ticket for Borough Council in November, worried that Lonegan's rhetoric would keep Latino families away in the future.

"They're not going to want to move in," Frias said. "They're going to feel maybe this town will not want to receive them."

Another resident urged Lonegan to retract his statements before they "spin out of control and damage our wonderful community further."

Lonegan's views send "the wrong message to New Jersey residents and surrounding states that we are xenophobic and racist," Susan L. Harper wrote in an e-mail to Lonegan. "In truth, we are an inclusive community-based neighborhood reflecting a global population."

Lonegan dismissed his critics.

He said the borough welcomes Hispanics and is proud of its diversity. But he added that the English language is the common thread that ties residents together and that the Spanish-language billboard undermines that notion.

"For every one of those people there's 10 people that are proud we're standing up for this," the mayor said.

Borough resident Sharon Zimmerman is one of Lonegan's supporters.

"Once again, you have made us proud!" Zimmerman wrote in an e-mail to Lonegan. "What is wrong with advertising in the national language of the U.S., which I believe is English?"

Marianne Pigoncelli also is glad that Lonegan has voiced his views.

"Why are we accommodating Spanish speakers instead of helping them to learn English?" asked Pigoncelli, also a resident.

Borough Council President George Shalhoub agrees with Lonegan's stance. He said the billboard is of no help to immigrants who need to learn English.

Shalhoub was in the majority when the council voted 4-2 to authorize Lonegan to request on behalf of the borough that McDonald's remove the billboard.

"I think the mayor took a stand," Shalhoub said. "In no way, shape or form do I feel it's embarrassing to the town or that Bogota is a town that discriminates."

McDonald's does not intend to comply with Lonegan's request. The fast-food giant has not commented on his remarks, other than to say that it does not intend to offend anyone and has "an obligation to our customers, employees, franchisees and shareholders to reach our customers as effectively as possible."

Lonegan is no stranger to headlines. He made the talk show circuit in late 2004 when he headed a protest against an Essex County school district that banned religious songs from its holiday concert. He led a group of carolers in "illegal" Christmas songs on the grounds of a Maplewood High School.

He also ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor in 2004.

Gandolfi Bookspan said she wasn't surprised by Lonegan's comments about McDonald's, or the resulting furor, given his history of speaking out. She echoed the sentiments of several residents when she said that Lonegan stirs up controversial issues in large part for the media attention and to further his political career. She said he should focus his attention on more local issues, such as taxes and services.

"It's so about Steve Lonegan," Gandolfi Bookspan said. "He wants his face out there. He wants his fame." Lonegan, she said, is a publicity hound.

Lonegan said the publicity is just the upshot of speaking out on hot-button issues.

"It's not Steve Lonegan that's getting the press, it's the issue," Lonegan said. "The consequence of getting the message out is you're going to be in the press."

He is unapologetic for speaking out on what he considers a local issue.

"It has such a profound impact on local communities," Lonegan said. "There are people who don't have the backbone to speak out on important issues, and when somebody else does they resent it."

The state Attorney General's Office's civil rights division has taken an interest in Lonegan's actions. The office, without explanation, requested a copy of his letter to McDonald's a few days after it was sent.

"At this point we plan no other action than continuing to monitor the situation until it comes to a resolution," Jeff Lamm, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said this week.

Lonegan suspects that the Attorney General's Office was attempting to intimidate him. But he says, to the delight of his supporters and the dismay of his detractors, that he will continue to use his own right to free speech whenever and however he sees fit.

E-mail: aberback@northjersey.com

We should all contact this guy and thank him for having common sense

More and more I feel like America is assimilating into Mexico!


HELL WILL FREEZE OVER BEFORE I DO!

Why does everyone cater to the hispanics? I think it is an insult not to have the billboard in good old American English!

Doesn't Mcdonald's realize this is an Engligh speaking country!

Give McDonald's the old heev ho!!

Hell, in San Diego, almost half of all billboards are in Spanish, especially the beer and bail bonds advertisements. Gee, I wonder why?

I wrote to McDonalds and told them I supported the Mayor of Bogota and was outraged at the sign. I received a return email basically saying what they told the mayor blah blah reaching out to all communities blah REACH OUT IN ENGLISH I'll starve before I eat their slop!!!

They should be flooded with mail and told for every Hispanic customer they pick up, they are going to lose 10 American customers........screw them. I never eat there anyway. The whole city of Nashville is nothing but Latino fast food.

I would like to know why only the illegals are alowed to pitch the walls of the cities ?

"the wrong message to New Jersey residents and surrounding states that we are xenophobic and racist," Susan L. Harper wrote in an e-mail to Lonegan. "In truth, we are an inclusive community-based neighborhood reflecting a global population."

Globalist! I am soooooo tired of the racist xenophobe name calling it is not working anymore, it just tends to make people a little more angry.