Thread: TX: Farmers Branch Mayor Speaks Out

FB mayor speaks out against immigration issue 1:40 PM CDT

02:05 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 8, 2007
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
ssandoval@dallasnews.com

Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps has come out strongly against a controversial proposed anti-illegal immigrant ordinance on Saturday's ballot.

Until now, the mayor has hesitated to take a firm stance on the ordinance, saying the city’s attorneys have advised him not to. The mayor did not vote for the ordinance enacted by the City Council because in Farmers Branch, the mayor votes only in the case of a tie.

The letter is from Mr. Phelps, former Mayor Dave Blair and former City Manager Richard Escalante.

In it, they say the ordinance is “the worst ordinance ever considered by a Farmers Branch City Council, and that “continuing this course of action will create a financial and social crisis in our community that will take years to recover from.”

The letter was sent out on letterhead from Taxpayers Against 2903, a political action committee formed by former mayors and city council members in opposition to the ordinance. The ordinance would ban apartments from renting to most illegal immigrants by requiring apartment management to obtain proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status from tenant before renting to them, or renewing lease agreements. Apartments are subject to a $500 fine for violations.

The letter was being mailed Tuesday to residents who had previously voted in city elections, said Gene Bledsoe, treasure for the political action committee.

David Koch, who is running for City Council and supports the ordinance, said Mr. Phelps, Mr. Blair and Mr. Escalante should have done more to resolve the city’s problems years ago, and criticized their estimates on the cost of the lawsuits as being from the attorneys that filed two of the suits.

“They all dropped the ball. Now that… they’re being exposed for not having done their jobs properly, they’re trying to deflate the criticism,” Mr. Koch said. “This is a group of three men who don’t have a grasp of reality or the facts. I appreciate the fact they stood up and were involved in the city, but they’re not playing straight with the facts with you in this letter in a lot of respects.”

The mayor's letter:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... letter.pdf

well now that's why it's up to the voters to decide isn't it?

The letter is from Mr. Phelps, former Mayor Dave Blair and former City Manager Richard Escalante. In it, they say the ordinance is “the worst ordinance ever considered by a Farmers Branch City Council, and that “continuing this course of action will create a financial and social crisis in our community that will take years to recover from.”

Yea, yea, yea, same old crap about how the town is going to economically die. Whatever it takes, Mayor. Stop putting bucks before our laws.

The great thing is that many illegals are already moving out of the Farmers Branch apartment complexes, even before the ordinance is passed. It is the same story with every community; when ordinances like this are up for a vote, the illegals leave. Imagine our federal government threatening to do such a thing. Instead of these illegals leaving one US town to go to another, they'll be leaving the US to go back home! Wow, Ted Kennedy, I guess enforcement, or at least threatening to do so, DOES work!

I think it's great that already, in EARLY voting here in FB, we have broken a 14 year voting record with over 3,400 votes (25% of registered voters). On voting day, they're predicting a total of HALF of all registered voters in FB will vote on this issue.

I smell victory coming!! (I just wish I had voted early now!! I guess I'll be at the library when the polls open at 7am this Saturday!)

I've said this before. I wish they could do something about the illegals having houses here (I'm surrounded by them on my block).

They have passed ordinances governing how many cars you can have per house and how many people should live in a certain type of house, but it's just about impossible to prove who actually lives there. There are cars and people coming and going from the houses on both sides of me at all times of day and night, and even I can't figure out who really lives there full time!!!!

Plus, they can always park the extra car, over the household limit, down the street to avoid being reported.

Wish there was a foolproof plan for this (like the apartment complex issue)!!

I think our mayor is a coward. He had his house vandalized when this issue first came out last fall, and seemed to give the impression that he was for the ordinance. But now 4 days before the elections, he goes turncoat for the other side!!!

I'm pretty sure the LEGAL residents of Farmers Branch will show what they want in this election!! (as the illegals here can't vote, yippee!!).

TexasGal

That's great TexasGal.
I hope all the voting is from legal citizens though.

Mayor Phelps' time as mayor has to be short. He has rubbed both sides on this argument the wrong way. He is a pander bear, that's all there is to it. Go get 'em, TexasGal!!!