MtnBiker
02-13-2007, 03:18 PM
February 13, 2007
By ERIK SCHELZIG - Even supporters acknowledged that the bill to make English the official language of Nashville was mostly a symbolic slap at illegal immigration.
But even that was too much for Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. He vetoed the measure Monday, saying it was unconstitutional, unnecessary and mean-spirited.
'This ordinance does not reflect who we are in Nashville,' Purcell said.
The Metro Council passed a measure 23-14 last week that would have required all government communication to be in English. But there was a huge loophole: The bill allowed multilingual communication whenever required by federal rules or when needed 'to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare.'
Purcell said his legal staff had advised him the measure violated the U.S. and state constitutions, and likely legal challenges would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend - 'for no good reason.'
The vague language of the ordinance would make it impossible to enforce, said the mayor, who is not seeking re-election when his terms ends this year.
'No one in this room knows for sure what it does,' Purcell said as he was flanked by council members, his staff lawyers and some city council opponents.
Nashville's mayor is elected in a nonpartisan election, but Purcell was a Democrat when he served in the state Legislature.
'If this ordinance becomes law, Nashville will become a less safe, less friendly and less successful city,' Purcell said. 'And as mayor, I cannot allow that to happen.'
English has been the language used in Nashville since before its founding more than 200 years ago, Purcell said. 'We do not need a law to tell us what language we are using,' he said.
Purcell's veto sends the measure back to the Metro Council, where the mayor said he hopes 'it will remain, never to be seen again.' It would take 27 council votes to override the veto.
Councilman Eric Crafton sponsored the measure, watered down from originally requiring all government communication to be in English, has said it would offer an incentive for immigrants to learn English. Phone calls to Crafton's home went unanswered Monday.
'It's almost ridiculous to the point of being absurd for the mayor to say 'Well, I'm afraid that somebody might sue us because we want to conduct our business in English,'' Crafton told WKRN-TV. 'To me it's a lack of courage and a lack of leadership.'
Smaller communities including Pahrump, Nev.; Taneytown, Md.; the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch and the Atlanta suburb of Cherokee County all recently passed similar laws or resolutions.
Nashville, a city of more than 600,000, is home to the nation's largest Kurdish community and has been a resettlement site for refugees from Africa and Southeast Asia. The Hispanic immigrant population also has boomed, and researchers say Nashville's foreign-born population has grown 350 percent since 1990.
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was among those opposing the proposed ordinance, saying it would hurt tourism and business developments efforts in a city that bills its as 'Music City USA.'
http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=20617
If not only english, how many languages should be recognized?
By ERIK SCHELZIG - Even supporters acknowledged that the bill to make English the official language of Nashville was mostly a symbolic slap at illegal immigration.
But even that was too much for Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. He vetoed the measure Monday, saying it was unconstitutional, unnecessary and mean-spirited.
'This ordinance does not reflect who we are in Nashville,' Purcell said.
The Metro Council passed a measure 23-14 last week that would have required all government communication to be in English. But there was a huge loophole: The bill allowed multilingual communication whenever required by federal rules or when needed 'to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare.'
Purcell said his legal staff had advised him the measure violated the U.S. and state constitutions, and likely legal challenges would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend - 'for no good reason.'
The vague language of the ordinance would make it impossible to enforce, said the mayor, who is not seeking re-election when his terms ends this year.
'No one in this room knows for sure what it does,' Purcell said as he was flanked by council members, his staff lawyers and some city council opponents.
Nashville's mayor is elected in a nonpartisan election, but Purcell was a Democrat when he served in the state Legislature.
'If this ordinance becomes law, Nashville will become a less safe, less friendly and less successful city,' Purcell said. 'And as mayor, I cannot allow that to happen.'
English has been the language used in Nashville since before its founding more than 200 years ago, Purcell said. 'We do not need a law to tell us what language we are using,' he said.
Purcell's veto sends the measure back to the Metro Council, where the mayor said he hopes 'it will remain, never to be seen again.' It would take 27 council votes to override the veto.
Councilman Eric Crafton sponsored the measure, watered down from originally requiring all government communication to be in English, has said it would offer an incentive for immigrants to learn English. Phone calls to Crafton's home went unanswered Monday.
'It's almost ridiculous to the point of being absurd for the mayor to say 'Well, I'm afraid that somebody might sue us because we want to conduct our business in English,'' Crafton told WKRN-TV. 'To me it's a lack of courage and a lack of leadership.'
Smaller communities including Pahrump, Nev.; Taneytown, Md.; the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch and the Atlanta suburb of Cherokee County all recently passed similar laws or resolutions.
Nashville, a city of more than 600,000, is home to the nation's largest Kurdish community and has been a resettlement site for refugees from Africa and Southeast Asia. The Hispanic immigrant population also has boomed, and researchers say Nashville's foreign-born population has grown 350 percent since 1990.
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was among those opposing the proposed ordinance, saying it would hurt tourism and business developments efforts in a city that bills its as 'Music City USA.'
http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=20617
If not only english, how many languages should be recognized?