HERNDON, Va. (AP) - The day labor site in Herndon may have changed the face of politics in that town.

Steve DeBenedittis, a resident who opposed the center, has been elected mayor of Herndon, defeating incumbent Michael O'Reilly.

DeBenedittis captured one-thousand, three-hundred and sixty-three votes, 130 more than O'Reilly.

The center opened late last year, replacing a chaotic unofficial site in a 7-Eleven parking lot as a spot for employers to recruit day laborers.

There was also turnover on the Herndon town council, as only two -- Dennis Husch and Harlon Reece -- were re-elected.

Connie Hutchinson, Dave Kirby, Bill Tirrell and Charlie Waddell have been newly elected to the council.

The mayor and town council take office on July first.

Link

Voters in the town of Herndon, Virginia delivered a stunning rebuke today to elected officials who opened a taxpayer funded day labor center for illegal aliens in the town last year. Incumbent mayor Michael O'Reilly lost to Steven DeBenedittis while five of the six at-large town council seats went to candidates opposing the day labor center.

Town Council winners are Bill Tirrell, incumbent Dennis Husch, Connie Haines-Hutchison, Charlie Waddell and Dave Kirby.

Only one of three incumbents on the council who supported the day labor center won re-election, J. Harlan Reece. The other two who went down in defeat were Carol Bruce and Steven Mitchell. Day labor center supporter Jorge Rochac also lost.

With its proximity to Washington, D.C., Herndon has captured national attention as a focal point of the debate over border security and the millions of illegal aliens lving and working in communities all across the country.

The local election came one day after a nationwide protest and boycott effort in support of legalizing illegal aliens.

Turnout in the election was higher than in past years, at 26%. The margin of defeat for the incumbent mayor was 130 votes out of 2,596 votes cast.

The nearly clean sweep by candidates opposed to coddling illegal aliens with taxpayer funds should serve as a warning to incumbents everywhere.

Link

Immigrant Backlash In Herndon
The Washington Post
05/03/2006

Herndon voters yesterday unseated the mayor and Town Council members who supported a bitterly debated day-labor center for immigrant workers in a contest that emerged as a mini-referendum on the turbulent national issue of illegal immigration.

Residents replaced the incumbents with a group of challengers who immediately called for significant changes at the center. Some want to bar public funds from being spent on the facility or restrict it to workers residing in the country legally. Others want it moved to an industrial site away from the residential neighborhood where it is located.

The day-labor center thrust the western Fairfax County town into the national spotlight as the issue of illegal immigration became emotional. Even though fewer than 3,000 people voted yesterday, advocates on both sides of the issue looked at the election as a test case of public sentiment. Outside groups such as the Minutemen Project, which favors sharp curbs on illegal immigration, intervened in the town debate. Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, is suing the town over establishment of the center.

Full story

Well, hot g*ddam for Herndon!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/party.gif

Whoo-hoo yeah!

this could just as soon be thought of as a referndum on the small businesses who hire day laborers.

so it's a nice firm blow dealt against free enterprise.

court hands illegal aliens big victory!!!!

http://www.cfac.org/Attachments/day_laborers.htm

court hands illegal aliens big victory!!!!

http://www.cfac.org/Attachments/day_laborers.htm


That's a big victory?

They can still be arrested at any time.

The silent majority has had enough of illegals and it shows.  It showed in Arizona, it showed in Georgia and it's showing in Colorado.

I've had enough of illegals as well and I'm a liberal. I think you should come to this country legally or just stay home. I still don't understand what these people are protesting, they are ILLEGALLY here and they're complaining because we're trying to clamp down on illegal immigration.

That's a big victory?

They can still be arrested at any time.

The silent majority has had enough of illegals and it shows.  It showed in Arizona, it showed in Georgia and it's showing in Colorado.
'cept when they're doing the lawn.

there's no point talking about illegals unless you also talk about the traffic in illegals among the well-to-do in this country.

That's a big victory?

They can still be arrested at any time.

The silent majority has had enough of illegals and it shows.  It showed in Arizona, it showed in Georgia and it's showing in Colorado.

Haw haw haw! "The silent majority." Haven't heard that in a while. It goes along well with:

http://middlemostpost.com/media/1/20051214-nixonresignl.jpg
The people have got to know whether or not their President's a crook.
Well, I am not a crook! I've earned everything I've got.
--RM Nixon

Haw haw haw! "The silent majority." Haven't heard that in a while. It goes along well with:

http://middlemostpost.com/media/1/20051214-nixonresignl.jpg
The people have got to know whether or not their President's a crook.
Well, I am not a crook! I've earned everything I've got.
--RM Nixon

yeah, the silent majority thing is a real hoot, what with their boy polling about 35% and never getting more than 51% in the popular vote. oo! it's a mandate!

yeah, the silent majority thing is a real hoot, what with their boy polling about 35% and never getting more than 51% in the popular vote. oo! it's a mandate!

The howling minority?
"Shout a lot and carry a wiffle ball bat."

That's a big victory?

They can still be arrested at any time.

The silent majority has had enough of illegals and it shows.  It showed in Arizona, it showed in Georgia and it's showing in Colorado.


I can't wait for it to show in California!!!!

Oh, the silent majority isn't all conservative either. We, moderates and liberals are in it too.

I've had enough of illegals as well


so what are you going to do about it?

That's a big victory?

They can still be arrested at any time.




for what? lawfully assembling in a public place?
Someone really needs to read the Constitution.

I've had enough of illegals as well and I'm a liberal. I think you should come to this country legally or just stay home. I still don't understand what these people are protesting, they are ILLEGALLY here and they're complaining because we're trying to clamp down on illegal immigration.

If your family was starving in some godawful Mexican backwater, you would not do any differently. Legal immigration takes years. When you are in dire straits--hungry children living in a cardboard shack--you do not have years to wait. The game in life for most of humanity is called survival. We fat and spoiled Americans often forget that.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/oink.gif

If your family was starving in some godawful Mexican backwater, you would not do any differently. Legal immigration takes years. When you are in dire straits--hungry children living in a cardboard shack--you do not have years to wait. The game in life for most of humanity is called survival. We fat and spoiled Americans often forget that.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/oink.gif


Then they need to protest these conditions in their own country and fix it. By believing in some form of illegal entitlement, they are not helping those in their country.

Then they need to protest these conditions in their own country and fix it. By believing in some form of illegal entitlement, they are not helping those in their country.

This is almost too daffy to warrant a response. You are deliberately dismissing the economic exigencies of third world poverty to restate an faulty premise.

There are political organizations protesting conditions in Mexican society. The Zapatista do carry on their struggle in the Chiapas and the south of Mexico. However, the government of Mexico is so corrupt it would take a leftist revolution to institute any kind of economic reforms beneficial to the people. I guarantee the United States government would intervene in a Mexican leftist revolution lickedy-split. There wouldn't be any public debate. There wouldn't be any heming and hawing as there is about the immigration issue. If there is one thing the United States can't stand it is poor people taking control of their country. There will be political pressure deep within the halls of power in the U.S. to "do something" about the leftist movements in Venezuela and Bolivia. I think there is not so much going on now because the U.S. intelligence community is bogged down in the Iraq debacle and internal scandals.

This is almost too daffy to warrant a response. You are deliberately dismissing the economic exigencies of third world poverty to restate an faulty premise.

There are political organizations protesting conditions in Mexican society. The Zapatista do carry on their struggle in the Chiapas and the south of Mexico. However, the government of Mexico is so corrupt it would take a leftist revolution to institute any kind of economic reforms beneficial to the people. I guarantee the United States government would intervene in a Mexican leftist revolution lickedy-split. There wouldn't be any public debate. There wouldn't be any heming and hawing as there is about the immigration issue. If there is one thing the United States can't stand it is poor people taking control of their country. There will be political pressure deep within the halls of power in the U.S. to "do something" about the leftist movements in Venezuela and Bolivia. I think there is not so much going on now because the U.S. intelligence community is bogged down in the Iraq debacle and internal scandals.


So you are saying that because they are poor and down-trodden that their voices don't matter and they can't be a force to be reckoned with? That's daffy. All of Mexico isn't Third-World.

So you are saying that because they are poor and down-trodden that their voices don't matter and they can't be a force to be reckoned with? That's daffy. All of Mexico isn't Third-World.

No, I'm not saying that at all. People do what they have to do in order to survive. They are not crossing the Rio Grande for malice, but for the most basic of human needs. You are blaming the wrong people when you resent illegal immigrants. Mexico is home to over a 100 million people. Most of them are poor. A few greedy hands horde most of the wealth of Mexico. Their government is incredibly corrupt. Perhaps there will be a revolution in Mexico someday, but for whatever reasons, it is not imminent.

You have inferred the opposite of what I was saying. When poor people organize themselves, the rich and powerful get nervous. The rich and powerful in the U.S. get especially nervous. Just look at what have done to places such as Cuba, El Salvador, and Nicaragua when the people said "no" to imperialism. The response of the corporate media to the recent immigrant strikes and marches has been ridicule and dismissal. That is one way of effectively managing fear. The corporate paymasters of the media certainly don't want anybody to get the idea that organized popular movements do any good.

Inequality is as part of this world as the rock beneath our feet, or the air we breath every day. Since the dawn of humanity, some tribes have assumed positions of powers over others; that is the natural way of things. Unfortunately, in the modern era this has translated to a huge economic gulf. The solutions are often more complex than at first appears. In addition to actually getting funding to these countries (which is often not what they really need), we have to contend with natural disasters, corrupt dictatorships and widely differing ways of life. What first needs to be done is more equitable systems of government, and better education of citizens. People in the First World forget how lucky they are in this respect. This is the same with regards to illegal immigrants; of course we can't just allow unrestricted illegal immigration in, but concessions (very stringent concessions) should be put in place, as well as better conditions in detention.ctrs.etc.

Inequality is as part of this world as the rock beneath our feet, or the air we breath every day. Since the dawn of humanity, some tribes have assumed positions of powers over others; that is the natural way of things. Unfortunately, in the modern era this has translated to a huge economic gulf. The solutions are often more complex than at first appears. In addition to actually getting funding to these countries (which is often not what they really need), we have to contend with natural disasters, corrupt dictatorships and widely differing ways of life. What first needs to be done is more equitable systems of government, and better education of citizens. People in the First World forget how lucky they are in this respect. This is the same with regards to illegal immigrants; of course we can't just allow unrestricted illegal immigration in, but concessions (very stringent concessions) should be put in place, as well as better conditions in detention.ctrs.etc.

I agree. The "illegal immigration" issue is like all social/political issues we debate--more complex than we'd like it to be. The broadcast media give their soundbites, but they don't tell the story of how the issue came to be. Complexity does not sell ads. Bigoted pundits pounding the podium just make it worse. The politician talk tough in an election year. Throw the voters a bone, make it sound like you actually want to DO something about illegal immigration. Come next legislative session  the politicians know they won't get anything done.

God forbid the voters get to understand history, political science, and economics beyond the myopic perspective our pop culture. They might demand reform on ALL fronts, not just illegal immigration, reforms that might put an end to the plundering of the public weal by the super-rich. The super-rich benefit from illegal immigration. That's why the the government will never solve the problem as long as the super-rich call the shots in this country. It's the same way with most major issues.

I agree. The "illegal immigration" issue is like all social/political issues we debate--more complex than we'd like it to be. The broadcast media give their soundbites, but they don't tell the story of how the issue came to be. Complexity does not sell ads. Bigoted pundits pounding the podium just make it worse. The politician talk tough in an election year. Throw the voters a bone, make it sound like you actually want to DO something about illegal immigration. Come next legislative session  the politicians know they won't get anything done.

God forbid the voters get to understand history, political science, and economics beyond the myopic perspective our pop culture. They might demand reform on ALL fronts, not just illegal immigration, reforms that might put an end to the plundering of the public weal by the super-rich. The super-rich benefit from illegal immigration. That's why the the government will never solve the problem as long as the super-rich call the shots in this country. It's the same way with most major issues.


That's the problem, politicians are often the LAST people qualified to make these decision. Pity that's the way it is.

That's the problem, politicians are often the LAST people qualified to make these decision. Pity that's the way it is.

Right. That's especially true when the highest bidders buy your candidates. If we had voter-owned elections, we might start making some headway on these matters.
::)

Then they need to protest these conditions in their own country and fix it. By believing in some form of illegal entitlement, they are not helping those in their country.


did you protest NAFTA in the early '90's? it flooded the Mexican economy with cheap U.S. corn and displaced millions of Mexicans-- guess where they're coming to?

Mexico is home to over a 100 million people. Most of them are poor. A few greedy hands horde most of the wealth of Mexico.


back in the '90's it was revealed that the 20 wealthiest Mexican families had a combined income greater than the Mexican federal budget!

back in the '90's it was revealed that the 20 wealthiest Mexican families had a combined income greater than the Mexican federal budget!

And that's exactly the kind of distribution of wealth the Bushies want for America. There is no "death tax." There is an "estate tax." It applies to less than 2% of the population.  Eighteen of the riches families in America keep the perpetual calls for repeal of the estate tax alive. There is already LESS social upward mobility in the U.S. than there is in the UK and Western Europe. That is a recent reversal of fortunes.

I suppose one way to stop illegal immigration is to make America as poor as El Salvador. Why bother to cross the Rio Grande?
::)

No, I'm not saying that at all. People do what they have to do in order to survive. They are not crossing the Rio Grande for malice, but for the most basic of human needs. You are blaming the wrong people when you resent illegal immigrants. Mexico is home to over a 100 million people. Most of them are poor. A few greedy hands horde most of the wealth of Mexico. Their government is incredibly corrupt. Perhaps there will be a revolution in Mexico someday, but for whatever reasons, it is not imminent.

You have inferred the opposite of what I was saying. When poor people organize themselves, the rich and powerful get nervous. The rich and powerful in the U.S. get especially nervous. Just look at what have done to places such as Cuba, El Salvador, and Nicaragua when the people said "no" to imperialism. The response of the corporate media to the recent immigrant strikes and marches has been ridicule and dismissal. That is one way of effectively managing fear. The corporate paymasters of the media certainly don't want anybody to get the idea that organized popular movements do any good.


While their need is unfortunate, it falls on the backs of those that are born here and those who legally came here. This group isn't exclusive in their "basic human" needs. There are many all over the world who aren't breaking the law. I live here in Southern California and have witnessed firsthand the circumstances. I'm sorry, but I don't have the desire to pull out the violins when on more than one occasion I've had to drive out of my way to find an emergency room that wasn't close due to those who overwhelmingly decide to use them as their primary care physicans or when I'm told that I may risk the chance of merit pay dictating my career because of those students who, despite having extreme deficiences in their academic performance, decide that it's more important to visit family for two-three weeks in Mexico during unscheduled breaks more than once throughout the school year than attend school. Other than that and other issues as a California resident, the sad song falls on deaf ears.

Come here legally and respect the laws here. Do not march into another country and dictate what you will or will not have.