Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis Meets Political Science Students
Nichole shows our appreciation to Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis for stopping by to discuss immigration issues and other topics. Mayor DeBenedittis was elected in May, 2006 based on, in part, his views on immigration including the controversial Day-Laborer Center that was the focus of national media attention. The meeting took place on January 8th, 2007.
Khadijah- Do you plan on vigorously enforcing immigration laws and if not, is there any reason to have these laws on the books? ANSWER- I believe in enforcing laws that are written. However, I'm not trying to deal with federal issues, just within the Herndon community.
Buffalo Wing- If Mr. Graney knew one of his students was an illegal alien, what do you think he should do? ANSWER Nothing. School isn't the place for that type of stuff.
A
Mayor DeBenedittis- After the immigration issue, I and my neighbors felt we were not being listened to. Rather than wait, I decided it was time to run.
We will never be able to return Herndon to the way it was years ago, but I would like to see everyone work together in a positive way.
People should not try to use Herndon as a way to affect the national agenda.
Deporting illegal aliens should be directed at criminals rather than aliens.
We should be able to solve this problem without using racial terms or "hate" words.
Beatriz- Herndon Police are now being trained to arrest illegal aliens. Will you use racial profiling in that process? ANSWER- No. The police will use criminal records and gang affiliation.
Derek- A year from now, what do you envision the Day-Laborer site will be like? Will it even exist? ANSWER- Yes. I envision the site will be open because the town has to provide a place for work solicitation to take place. But I hope the town can locate a new operator that will check for workers legality.
Nichole- What are your thoughts on the "Minutemen" who photograph and video day-laborers and those who hire them? Do you think they are a positive force in this community? ANSWER- The Minutemen are not my style. I would not be the one out there taking pictures and watching the men that go to work. It only helps if it exposes those that hire the men.
Ilina- Have you met the owner of the 7-11 on Elden Street and if so, has he or she commented on the day-laborer issue to you? ANSWER- Yes, I have met with the manager of that 7-11. He estimated that he spent $100,00 a year on security for his store. He does not want to have to keep doing that.
Danielle- On Christmas Eve, the Northern Virginia Muslim Council provided a holiday dinner for day laborers at the Day-Laborer Center. Assuming some of the workers at the center are here illegally, would you characterize their actions as aiding illegal activity? ANSWER- No, I don't think they were aiding illegal activity. All people should be treated with dignity and respect and I think that is what Northern Virginia Muslim Council was doing.
Brooke- Former Town Council member Carol Bruce said you were elected by "a bunch of angry people who came out to vote on a single issue that had nothing to do with Herndon". What is your reaction to that? ANSWER- I went door-to-door to campaign and didn't really know what I was doing. I believe racism exists but I ran for mayor so I could change other things besides immigration.
Chris- What, if anything, do you think Herndon has gained from illegal immigration? ANSWER- Immigrants in general help out a lot. They have helped form this town.
Alex- Now that some time has passed, what is your view of how former Mayor Michael O'Reilly handled the crowding at 7-11? ANSWER- Under Mayor O'Reilly, the town took too long to figure out what to do. And the town did not listen very well either.
Katherine- On your campaign web site when you were running for mayor, you promised to be "punitive to those involved in and profiting from overcrowding." What did you have in mind when you made that promise? ANSWER- Someone buys a house to rent it out to as many people as possible to make a large profit. I want to make the fines bigger than they are now because the current fine, $250.00, most landlords will think is just the cost of doing business.
Mike- Has Congressman Frank Wolf discussed the immigration issue with you and if so, are you able to describe that conversation? ANSWER- I have never formally met with Congressman Wolf but we have talked including here at the recent band competition. We walked out together and discussed immigration. He said he is supportive of our efforts and I thanked him for his work on gang violence.
Taylor- Herndon Town Council member William B. Tirrell recently suggested that the town should print official documents in English as a way of encouraging Hispanic immigrants to learn the language. Do you support that and if so, are you willing to allocate money to pay for English classes for the immigrants? ANSWER- I don't like that idea. I'm a practical man and it's practical to translate some things. I recognize there is a cost to that, but it is not too high. It would be nice to supply a list of classes so that people know where and hot to attend them.
Sabrina- As a mayor of a town so close to Washington, D.C., do you need to stay up-to-date on national issues? For example do you have any opinion of the recent Democratic takeover of Congress? ANSWER- My concern is the town of Herndon. I did a few interviews after the elections but now I will only do interviews that deal with Herndon issues. I'm not interested, as Mayor, in issues that don't affect the town. But just as there was a changeover in Herndon, change was due in Washington also.
Jazmen- When running for mayor you promised to ease the tax burden of Herndon homeowners. Have you been able to make any progress on this promise n the short time you have been mayor? ANSWER- We have not been able to ease the tax burden yet. The Council is just getting into the budget cycle. However next year we will try to decrease taxes.
Naqib- Did it bother you that the Washington Post wrote an article about your family members that may have different views than yours on the immigration issue? ANSWER- No. I love my family but I have my own opinions and views on certain things. I respect their views on things.
Caitlin- President Bush has come out in favor of the Senate immigration bill which would provide a path to citizenship for illegal aliens and which opponents call "amnesty" and rewarding illegal behavior. The House bill would, among other things, require a fence along the Mexican border, fine those that hire illegal aliens and charge illegal aliens with a felony if they try to reenter the country. Do you support President Bush or the House bill? ANSWER- I would lean toward the House bill. I prefer the stricter bill because it is a fairness issue. There are people who come to American and try to earn citizenship legally, which takes a long time. Those who come here illegally should not have an easier path to citizenship.
Abbir- Since you became mayor, what percent of your time have you spent on the immigration issue? ANSWER- A lot of time has been spent on issues like that. Lots of provisions have been put up, land use, zoning, etc.
The students found Mayor DeBenedittis to interesting, sincere, polite, respectful and thoroughly enjoyed the discussion they had with him.
