English debate heads to votersBOGOTA -- Voters will be asked at the polls this fall whether they want English recognized as the town's official language.
Posted on 08/18/2006 9:58:31 AM PDT by Coleus
BOGOTA -- A month after he demanded the removal of a Spanish-language billboard, the mayor hopes to make it clear that English is the borough's dominant language. Mayor Steve Lonegan has proposed a non-binding ballot question asking residents whether they would support an ordinance declaring English the official language of Bogota. Lonegan plans to ask the Borough Council tonight to authorize the November referendum.
"The message is that English is the language that binds us together as a community," Lonegan said Wednesday. "We recognize that, and we're striving to maintain that." Critics said such an ordinance would fan the flames of prejudice and xenophobia.
"I think it's something that would encourage people of other nationalities not to come to Bogota," said Jessie Frias, a borough resident of Dominican descent. "I don't really want to be known as a town that doesn't want anyone else but English speakers," said Frias, who is running for Borough Council on the Democratic ticket in November. Lonegan, a Republican who is not up for reelection this year, drew national media attention last month after he demanded that McDonald's remove a Spanish language billboard for its iced coffee on River Road and replace it with an English-only version.
| What's next Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan will ask the Borough Council tonight to approve a ballot question asking voters whether they would support an ordinance making English the official language of the borough. The meeting is at 7:30 p.m. in Borough Hall. The ordinance would require all official business to be conducted and published in English only, except when required otherwise by state or federal law. |
Lonegan said then that the billboard was divisive because it sent a message that non-English speaking immigrants did not need to learn the language or assimilate into the community. McDonald's refused to take down the advertisement. He said the billboard flap inspired him to propose the English-language ordinance. "The controversy demonstrated the need to clarify this issue," Lonegan said. "This is a big issue for people all across the country."
The ordinance would call for all borough business to be conducted and written in English only, unless otherwise required by state or federal law. For example, it would not supersede the federal law that requires all ballots in Bogota to be printed in English and Spanish. The local law also would have no sway over private business practices, such as McDonald's decision to erect the Spanish language billboard.
"It doesn't say McDonald's can't put up a billboard," Lonegan said. "That's infringement on free speech. You can't do it." But it would prohibit any borough resolutions, ordinances or other publications from being printed in languages other than English. Bogota has become more diverse over the years. According to the 2000 census, Hispanics make up 21 percent of the borough's 8,249 residents, up from 10 percent of the population in 1990. Whites were the largest ethnic group in 2000, accounting for 76 percent of residents.
Some question the need for the ordinance. According to the 2000 census, 99 percent of the borough's residents speak English. "This begs the obvious question whether this type of measure is really necessary," said Annu Mangat, communications director of the New Jersey American Civil Liberties Union. Lonegan said adopting English as the official language would not be prejudiced. He said it would encourage immigrants to learn English and be part of the community but is not suggesting that they abandon their culture.
"It guarantees consistency in the years to come and encourages people to speak English," Lonegan declared.
Twenty-seven states, including Massachusetts in the Northeast, have adopted English as their official language, according to U.S. English, a Washington-based organization that supports the English as official language movement. It is rarer for towns to adopt English-language ordinances. Hazleton, Pa., and Valley Park, Mo., have passed such legislation. In Hazleton, in northeastern Pennsylvania, the stipulation is part of a larger ordinance known as the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which also calls for harsh fines against landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that employ them.
Riverside, in Burlington County, adopted a similar ordinance but does not call for English as its official language. Lawsuits challenging the Hazleton and Riverside ordinances were filed in Scranton, Pa., and Newark on Wednesday. Lonegan said he is not proposing a comparable ordinance.
English debate heads to votersEnglish only - start with the town's name.
Lonegan bump!
Anyone notice the MSM coverage of this story? Thought so.
QUE?
Ironically, the mayor of Newark, Colombia wants a Spanish-only law for his city.
On any given day I hear more Spanish than English being spoken in Jersey City. :-(
I am with a lady from Brazil that has a Passport, a Visa, work permit attachment. Birth certificate. She wants to become a US citizen. She spends $3000 on a lawyer to take care of all the paperwork. And she looks around and sees illegal aliens all over the place that did nothing like her. She doesn't like that at all. Imagine Ann Coulter with brown hair and brown eyes with a Portuguese accent.
related
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1662252/posts?page=376#376
Legal Experts Question Bogota English Only Vote
Oh, but of course...
They don't want the will of the people to be heard.
Wow. Sounds like my neighborhood.
They never do.
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