Today at the Metro Courthouse, Councilman Eric Crafton delivered three clear storage containers, each filled with bundles of signatures supporting his English-only charter amendment.
The measure calls for all Metro government operations to be conducted in English. Crafton’s goal is to put the amendment to a referendum vote in November. To do that, he needed the support of about 10-thousand registered voters.
In total, the petition drive netted just over 12-thousand, 500 names on postcards and via online forms. That gives a cushion of well more than the 2 to 4 percent that are usually thrown out during the validation process.
Crafton dismissed several complaints about the amendment, including the claim that it’s mean-spirited.
“It’s mean-spirited of government to ask senior citizens on fixed incomes to pay ever increasingly higher property taxes to pay for these services when they’re having to make a choice of whether to buy medicine, buy food, or pay their property taxes.”
Crafton says the petition drive cost 20-thousand dollars. He won’t disclose the list of financial contributors until required to do so by Metro, but the national advocacy group ProEnglish issued a press release claiming to have played a –quote- “key role” in the effort.
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Crafton says the amendment contains a caveat giving Metro leeway to provide “reasonable accommodation.” He says the point is to clarify that the decision of whether to use other languages is Metro’s, and cannot be dictated by an outside group. When listing examples of what services would be eliminated, he first pointed to the millions spent on classes for English Language Learners in Metro schools, but backed down when reminded that ELL is required by the federal government.
He was then asked how many changes could be expected right away if it indeed includes leeway for “reasonable accommodation.” Those decisions would ultimately be up to Metro Council and Mayor Karl Dean; both have expressed displeasure with the measure. Crafton responded that the amendment is an insurance policy against lawsuits.
In the event the amendment itself is the subject of a lawsuit, Crafton says he’s working with the same legal team that successfully defended a much broader English-only measure in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.
Crafton also showed reporters a stack of postcards returned by people who oppose the measure. Many bore crass messages or accused the councilman of being a racist. He says there are about 150, less than 0.1% of the total number of postcards returned.
A similar resolution was passed by Metro Council last year, but vetoed by then-Mayor Bill Purcell.
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