Oak Point residents look to repeal city’s recent “English-only” resolution

by Chad Jones

Photo courtesy of Mrs. Bell

A copy of one page of the petition.

Last month, the city council of Oak Point, Texas in Denton County passed a resolution declaring English as the city's official language.

In a discussion with Oak Point Councilmember Jim Almond—the originator of the resolution—he asserted that most of the city's residents supported such a measure. In fact, he said, this groundswell of support was what motivated him to bring the topic to the council in the first place.

However, some Oak Point residents have expressed their dissent, and they are in the process of creating a petition that they hope will cause the resolution to be repealed. Among the petitioners is Mary Bell, a board member of the city's Economic Development Corporation and president of the Emerald Sound Property Owner Association.

"I was at the council meeting where this resolution was voted in, and I was one of many who asked council to refrain from further action," said Bell. "But the council moved forward anyway. To me, that was a bad move."

"I'm opposed to the resolution for one main reason: it was not instigated by the community or from any kind of community outcry in favor of it," added Bell. "It was done on behalf of one council person, Jim Almond, and the motive for which he passed it remains unclear to me."

Bell has also expressed her dissatisfaction with the manner in which the resolution was passed.

"Citizen" letters

Soon after the English-only resolution was passed, the city of Oak Point received several emails, 9 of which approved of the measure and 7 of which disapproved.

However, a closer look at the letters (which are available here for download) show that hardly any, on either side of the issue, are from actual Oak Point residents.

Because both sides—including Mr. Almond and Mrs. Bell—have cited these letters in their favor on separate occasions, a breakdown is in order.

Breakdown:

Only 4 out of 9 who wrote in favor of the English only resolution are Oak Point residents. (Others are from Dallas, Denton and even one from Massachusetts).
Only 2 out of 7 who wrote against the resolution are Oak Point residents. (Others are from across D-FW and beyond; and the address of one, a Mr. Bob Cobb, cannot be found*).

*I emailed the dude for his response. Let us await this epic verdict.

"Other than giving proper notice of the meeting and the agenda, there was no effort made to publicize this resolution or solicit city-wide input. I believe it was done very quietly," she said.

Though several citizen letters for and against the resolution (see sidebar) were sent to the city following its action, Bell believes the measure does not reflect the opinions of the majority of the city.

"In spite of a room full of people expressing opposition to the resolution, the council voted for it. I feel the council did not act in a manner that was representative of the people of Oak Point," she said.

While Bell believes the resolution, so far, has had no direct negative economic consequences, she does call into question Councilman Almond's insistence that declaring English the city's official language would save city officials time and money.

"Currently, there are no costs to the city associated with translating documents or speech," said Bell. "That fact is direct from [Oak Point] City Manager Richard Martin. The current city manager used to be the city attorney, as well as provide translation services at a cost. Now that he is the city manager, any (and it is rare) translation that may be needed he still provides, but is not charging for."

Bell, who has lived in Oak Point for the past four years, believes the resolution reflects badly on the city.

"Oak Point really is a great and welcoming community, and I would like to make sure it stays that way," she said. "We are actively collecting signatures, and in the mean time I am hopeful that the council puts the issue back on the agenda for July and does the right thing, without any outside pressure being applied."

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

Tejun, says:

It is contradictory to say that one person supported this bill then recognize that it passed by a majority. You cannot say it does not 'reflect the majority of the city' when majority of the city representatives voted for it. It does not say anything either to admit there was 'a room full of opposition' when, generally speaking, people hardly show up in support of anything. It is much easier to be motivated when one does not agree. That's how we get t.v. Moreover, more email was sent in support of the bill than in opposition to it. It seems Ms. Bell is not in touch with her neighbors. And after only four years, she hasn't quite laid down the roots the majority of her community has thus far. It may be that Oak Point is just not for her.