Check this out. Rhode Island; Kansas; Willamina, Oregon; cities and states are taking illegal immigration enforcement seriously. Welcome to the party, more are welcome.
Tim Scott
Labels: Illegal Immigration
As part of the Neighborhood Beautification initiative, advanced by the City Council, a CityWide CleanUp Day is planned to encourage Spring Cleaning on Saturday, March 29.
Community Watch groups with registered block parties will have trash dumpsters delivered to their neighborhoods to assist in clean up efforts. Registered parties will also be visited by the “Clean Team” with information, giveaways and drawings.
Additionally, everyone is invited to the "CleanUp Central" location at Don Showman Park, Valwood at Heartside Place, that will feature trash and recycling containers, free electronics recycling opportunities (for monitors, TVs, printers and such), concessions, a bounce house, consultation with Code Enforcement personnel and with Parks Landscape Manager Pam Smith. There will also be pets available for adoption from the Farmers Branch Animal Shelter and a giveaway of Spring color, roses and trees (while supplies last). Hours on the “Clean Team” and on “CleanUp Central” will be from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. that day.
In association with the CleanUp Day event, free classes will be held inside the Community Recreation Center, adjacent to the Don Showman site at 14050 Heartside Place. Speakers from the Dallas County Master Gardeners Speakers Bureau will address landscaping and lawn issues:
10 a.m. – Water Wise Gardening by Janet Smith
11 a.m. – Seasonal Color Year Round by Diana Harris
12 noon – Composting by Jane Bartosiewicz
1 p.m. – Turf Management by James Hatcher
All classes are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is requested by calling the Community Recreation Center at 972-247-4607.
For more information, call 972-919-2634.
You might have seen the headline in the Dallas Morning News today about the city sending the wrong paperwork to several apartment complexes, paperwork that included language asking if prospective tenants were in this country legally. It was a simple, and unfortunate, clerical error. It was unintended, and the council found out about it once the error had been realized.
I commend City Manager Gary Greer for the way he's handling this situation. Mistakes do happen. And this was nothing more than an unintended mistake.
Tim Scott
In a shrewd move by the pro-illegal-immigration forces and organizations, the term "undocumented worker" has begun to be substituted for "illegal alien" in news reports and debates about the illegal immigration problem we face in the USA. Organizations like
LULAC use the term, the
ACLU uses the term, and
many other activists having chosen to use the term, while also labeling "illegal immigrant" as an offensive term.
Using the term "undocumented worker" instantly sends the message that there is nothing illegal with that individual's residency in the United States. It conveys that the any question of their legality can be worked out with a little paperwork and submission of the correct government forms. It's use is part of a strategy meant to soften the reality that those individuals are breaking the law, and are actually "illegal aliens" in the United States.
Guess who else is using the term "undocumented" immigrants? Tim O'Hare's opponent for Mayor, local realtor Gene Bledsoe. In his campaign material, he flaunts his supposed opposition to illegal immigration, but then adopts the language of LULAC, the ACLU, and other pro-illegal immigration activists. Not illegal immigrants, "undocumented" immigrants.
Do you share that view? I think I know the answer.
Tim
If you didn't know there was an election on the near horizon in Farmers Branch, you'd realize it now based on all the yard signs that have popped up all over town. I know that candidate for Mayor Tim O'Hare and candidate for City Council Harold Froehlich have already handed out their first printing of signs, and are now filling requests with their second large batch. And all the signs placed by Tim O'Hare and Harold Froehlich are done so only after either receiving permission or being directly requested by the homeowner. You would assume the other candidates follow the same policy, right?
Not so fast.
Today at the Easter egg hunt at Tim and Harold's campaign headquarters on Webb Chapel, Tim O'Hare's opponent Gene Bledsoe was knocking doors across the street seeking permission to place yard signs. Curiously, he placed his sign in the yard of a vacant house that already had Tim O'Hare and Harold Froehlich signs. Several of the volunteers working the Easter egg hunt saw him place the sign,and one remarked: "That's my sister-in-law's house." She called her sister-in-law who confirmed that no permission had been given to Mr. Bledsoe to place the sign, and that is should be removed immediately.
This isn't the first report I've been given of Mr. Bledsoe placing his sign in the yards of vacant houses. So when you're driving through town and see a house with a Bledsoe sign, don't assume that's a Bledsoe supporter. It might just be an empty, vacant house, with an owner who wasn't given the opportunity to deny the request.
Tim Scott
Labels: Campaign
This election isn't the first time Gene Bledsoe has misrepresented the facts regarding the city's expenditures in an effort to frighten people. Last year, he was the treasurer for a group that was against Ordinance 2903, and at a press conference he indicated that our legal budget for defending the ordinance was $700,000, when in reality, that was our entire legal budget and contained all the legal expenses for the city, and was almost double the actual budget relating to illegal immigration.
He was corrected by Charles Cox, the city's award-winning Finance Director. You can read the story
here.
I guess it's a pattern.
Tim Scott
Labels: Campaign
As you know, Tim O'Hare is committed to running an open, honest, ethical campaign. Mr. O'Hare's opponent is basing his campaign on accusations that our city is spending money uncontrollably. The truth is that we're in great shape! It is unfortunate that Tim O'Hare's opponent is trying to fool people into thinking our city's financial situation is just the opposite. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Ben Robinson and I had to address some of these very egregious misstatements by his opponent; we felt very strongly that the good people of Farmers Branch deserve the truth. We wrote a letter refuting Mr. O'Hare's opponents claims, you can quickly access that letter from Ben Robinson and myself here:
http://www.timothyohare.com/open_letter.pdfPlease spread this information to your friends and neighbors! Know that all the figures listed in this letter were checked and re-checked with city staff, and are accurate.
Have a great Easter weekend, hope to see you Saturday at the Egg Hunt!
Tim Scott
Labels: Campaign
From
Mayor Pro Tem Tim O'Hare's Blog:
There is a lot going on this week This weekend is Easter - as early as it has been since 1913! This Saturday, March 22nd, I am hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at my campaign headquarters at 13545 Webb Chapel Road at 11:00 a.m. There will be parking at the building, as well as at Webb Chapel Church of Christ and at Webb Chapel Baptist Church. All children are welcome. Adults, too. Please bring your kids, grandkids, neighbors, friends, relatives - the more the merrier! We will have a coloring contest, hunts for different age groups and special drawings for prizes. The event is FREE of charge.
This will be a chance to meet new friends, have a good time with your children and their friends and to enjoy the great weather we are expected to have after yesterday’s monsoon. We will also have a special visit from the Easter Bunny before he makes his rounds on Saturday night/Sunday morning.
See you on Saturday at 11:00!
Mississippi now has a law requiring all employers to verify the legal residency status of all workers in the state of Mississippi. Penalties for the employer could include the cancellation of state or public contracts. Those convicted of violating the new law could be sentenced to up to five years in prison or fined up to $10,000. The illegal immigrant also would be deported.
Let's hope our representatives in Austin are paying attention to what is happening in state's all around us.
Tim Scott
Labels: Illegal Immigration
So, after a representative from ICE called the Dallas Morning News to tell them their story was wrong, and that the city of Farmers Branch was indeed in the 287(g) program, the editors at the paper made some minor changes to their story, and changed their headline to "FB Officer to Get Immigration Law Training."
I guess they just can't bring themselves to use the same language and enthusiasm to tell the truth about our city. Yesterday, it was the harsh and definitive language of the headline "Farmers Branch Denied!" When confronted with the truth, the respond with the dainty and innocuous "FB Officer to Get Training." Not "Farmers Branch the First Metroplex City Accepted in 287(g)."
I haven't seen a hard copy of the paper today (I don't subscribe), can someone tell me if they ran another story in the actual paper today, clarifying themselves?
Tim Scott
Did you see the headline in the Metro section of today's paper about Farmers Branch and our acceptance into the 287(g) program? (Probably not, I know alot of you have cancelled your subscriptions.) No? It's because it wasn't there, it was replaced with a headline that read:
"Farmers Branch Denied Entry into Program to Identify, Deport Jailed Immigrants"
What a clever, sly way for the DMN to distort the truth. What has happened to telling the truth? Everywhere I turn, people are twisting words and misstated facts in order to deceive us. Candidates are doing it, newspaper editors are doing it...when did people quit being honest?
I'm going to tell you the truth. The truth that the Dallas Morning News reporter heard in our City Council study session last night, and even mentioned in the second sentence of the article that directly refutes the headline.
The Federal Government has a program called 287(g) that allows non-federal law enforcement agencies to partner with ICE to identify and deport illegal immigrants. There are two components of this program: one that would place one or more ICE agents on-site with a local or state criminal detention center, and one that would train and empower local law enforcement to perform the investigations into suspected illegal aliens and begin the deportation process.
The City of Farmers Branch requested to be a part of 287(g) about 18 months ago, filled out all requisite paperwork, and waited. And waited some more. We were finally told that ICE didn't have the budget dollars to satisfy all the requests they had received for participation in 287(g), and that while we wouldn't get to participate in the program which placed an ICE agent on-site at our local jail, we would get to participate in the program where an FB Police Detective would be trained and empowered by ICE to investigate illegal aliens and begin the deportation process.
We were not "denied entry into the program" as the DMN wants you to believe. That's like saying I had wanted to by a ticket to a Dallas Cowboys game to sit in section 110, but instead got a ticket to sit in section 114, and the DMN running the headline "Tim Scott Denied Ticket to Cowboys Game." Very misleading.
Under the 287(g) program, we will have an FB Police Detective trained by ICE, who, in addition to their normal duties, will have full authority to carry out ICE investigations on the status of suspected illegal immigrants, and will represent FB in a joint ICE Task Force in the DFW Metroplex.
This will be on top of aggressive utilization of the CAP program, where each person brought to the FB Criminal Detention Center is asked about their legal residency status, and all suspected illegal aliens are turned over to ICE for processing. To date, we have handed over to ICE more than 600 illegal aliens for processing, or approximately 15% of all incarcerated individuals.
In Farmers Branch, this City Council and staff are maximizing all avenues available to us to enforce the law and make our city safe.
And we're telling the truth.
Labels: Illegal Immigration
Tim O'Hare has an excellent blog post today about the Mayorial campaign and about our efforts to continue our fight against illegal immigration in our city. Take some to time to go read it,
here's the link.Tim Scott
This is interesting: an approach to securing the border that keeps out illegal border-crossers and brings back the natural landscape and wildlife that has been lost.
Tim Scott
Labels: Illegal Immigration
FB isn't alone. Here's the
link.
Welcome into the pool, Arizona.
Tim Scott
Labels: Illegal Immigration
All of us who live in Farmers Branch know what a wonderful community we have, and I wanted to share an email I received from a prospective resident that concisely summarizes where we are as a city. We have such a strong foundation of neighborhoods, parks, and city services, and are on the cusp of an explosive renaissance in line with our most aggressive dreams. Here's what I take from this letter:
1. The word is getting out. Farmers Branch is on the rise.
2. We still have work to do, and that's why its imperative that we continue to market the city, and work with home owners and developers to help them be successfil.
3. This election is of paramount importance. The last thing we need is a Mayor or City Council member who doesn't share the vision of FB, and would rather return us to a do-nothing, "all is well" approach. We need leaders who have been involved in making Farmers Branch what is it, and what it is becoming. Tim O'Hare and Harold Froehlich.
4. Notice the line "As soon as I gave them these details their eyes lit up." People are excited when they hear what is happening in our city. We're on the right track, and we need to stay on it, full speed ahead!
Enjoy.
Tim Scott
From a Prospective Citizen:
"We are meeting a second time with a Branch Crossing builder today to look at his house. My wife was impressed with Branch Crossing, the near by parks and highway access. I just learned of your city's hospital/medical authority and new medical contract. Farmers Branch is a "forgotten gem" based on our conversations with Dallas friends over dinners and events this week at the Mansion on Turtle Creek and Fearings/Ritz.
"For your information and use -- Many of our friends are trying to discourage us
from considering Farmers Branch because they said that time has passed Farmers
Branch by 10-15 yrs ago. It was hot 25 years ago but now Farmers Branch is just
an old community that is regressive and not progressive. They all read the media
about the immigration issue and that has negatively affected their opinion of
Farmers Branch ---even though they agree with the position of Farmers Branch. None
of my friends who own businesses in Dallas and or Plano and other lifelong
dallasites knew about the recent news articles within the past 10 days
about the developments between Galleria to Mercer Crossing and the planning for
train service between Frisco and Irving via Farmers Branch...
As soon as I gave them these details their eyes lit up.
"Our local friend's opinions and reaction to Farmers Branch reminded my wife and
I of the reaction we received when we relocated to Los Angeles and asked friends
about locating at Marina del Rey community. Everyone including real estate
"experts" discouraged us from considering Marina del Rey because it was a
depressed and run down community etc. After we went to Marina del Rey, we
quickly realized that none of these folks apparently have recently visited the
new Marina del Rey with multi million dollar condo buildings and new shopping
centers etc etc...To this day many Beverly Hills and West /Brentwood Los Angeles
residents still look down on Marina del Rey because they do not know better.
"All of this to say that I highly recommend Farmers Branch to continue to invest
and probably increase funds to market/publicize the renaissance of Farmers
Branch using the internet, internet videos and routine marketing tools. I also
would recommend to have training sessions in the future with DFW real estate
agents (especially those who work with relocation clients) in order to educate
them on the new Farmers Branch.
"If we can negotiate a fair price for the house, we hope to be Farmers Branch
citizens."
Labels: Revitalization
What a great kick-off party we had last night! We filled up the Stars Center!
I'm sure you've seen Tim O'Hare and Harold Froehlich yard signs begin to pop up around town, if you want some for your yard, we're happy to deliver them! Send me an email at: scott.timothy1@tx.rr.com, and I'll make sure you get some for your yard.
Have a great week, Tim
Labels: Campaign
This is exciting. Check it out. Another rail line that would run straight through Farmers Branch.
From the article:
For Farmers Branch, the line would serve a just-announced 300-acre retail, commercial and residential development to be built in the Mercer Crossing area, near interstates 35E and 635 and the Bush Turnpike. The first phase will be a Mediterranean-inspired town center with plazas, gazebos, parks, fountains and walking trails around a lake.
"We're going to be having thousands of people living and working in that area," City Manager Gary Greer said. "If we can provide them with some commuter access, that's going to be helpful to us and to the development."
Tim Scott
Labels: Redevelopment
I'm sure you've already heard, but I want to remind everyone of the Kick-Off Party that Tim O'Hare is throwing this Saturday at the Dr Pepper Stars Center. This is going to be a great event, with BBQ, a live band and a few speakers. Bring the whole family.
It this Saturday, March 8th, from 6-8 p.m., at the Farmers Branch/Dr Pepper Starcenter, at 12700 Stemmons Freeway.
See you there!
Tim Scott
Labels: Campaign
Not suprising. Here's the
link.
Tim
Labels: Illegal Immigration
Not sure what chance
this has of ever getting to the floor of a democratic-controlled Senate, but it could be interesting. Highlights include:
* Block federal funding to cities that bar their police from asking about immigration status.
* Give the Department of Homeland Security the authority to use information from the Social Security Administration to target illegal immigrants.
* Require construction of 700 miles of fencing along the southern border, not including vehicle barriers.
* Impose sanctions on countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens.
* Deport any immigrant, legal or illegal, for one drunk-driving conviction.
* Enable local and state police to enforce federal immigration laws.
Labels: Illegal Immigration
I hope everyone goes out and votes today. Freedom and democracy only work when you exercise them.
Everyone should go read Mayor Pro Tem Tim O'Hare's recent
blog entry regarding all the great things that are happening in Farmers Branch, and his involvement and leadership in them.
Tim's role in redeveloping Farmers Branch cannot be overstated, and is one of the biggest reasons he needs to be our next Mayor.
Tim Scott
