Candidates say they'll 'crack down' on illegal aliens

The fliers landed in voters' mailboxes in the weeks leading up to the primary election.

A photo of a sullen-looking man in a cowboy hat and a black jacket stands against a police line up, holding a sign: "Derek Fink County Council. Fink will crack down on illegal immigrants."

On a second page, Fink then outlines how he plans to do exactly that.

"We know they're here," said Fink, a Republican from Pasadena running for Ron Dillon's council seat in District 3.

Republican voters in District 2 received a nearly identical mailer, this one from council candidate John Grasso. Grasso, of Glen Burnie, contends that illegal immigration is the top concern for voters in his district.

"I can tell you I got a lot of responses from that one," Grasso said of the mailer, which cost about $2,200 and went out to around 3,000 voters. "That issue is before anything else in his county. I can tell you it is No. 1."

"We're on the same page, Derek and I."

Not only the same page, but the same supplier. Both Fink and Grasso hired the Gilleland Group of Millersville, a consulting firm owned by former Republican state delegate Terry Gilleland, to design the mailers.

Gilleland didn't return a calls seeking comment, and it's unclear if any candidates in other county races have purschased similar mailers.

State campaign finance records show that Fink paid Gilleland about $5,200 for direct mailing in August, while Grasso has paid him more than $7,100 for campaign materials and other expenses.

While Fink and Grasso see the issue as one of the top concern, their opponents and even other Republicans aren't so sure.

Seeking values voters

Dan Nataf, a political science professor at Anne Arundel Community College, said Fink and Grasso are trying to reach out to the values voters, a common Republican tactic. That may have been effective in the primary, when Fink beat out two former councilmen and Grasso narrowly eked out a victory over his challenger, Gary Middlebrooks.

Will it work in the Nov. 2 general election? That's harder to predict, he said.

"The business that the council fundamentally does, they're pretty small issues," Nataf said. "They're not really, really big issues. Illegal immigration is probably something that's more of an issue at the state level or the national level."

Dan Klosterman, a former Democratic county councilman running against Grasso, said illegal immigration is a growing problem.

"I do firmly believe that any company that is caught hiring illegal immigrants needs to be turned over to the federal authorities," Klosterman said.

But there are bigger ones for the council to tackle, he said.

"At the county council level, we have very little we can do," he said. "The major issue is the jobs and the economy. How do we get the economy jump started again? But candidates find buzzwords, and certain buzzwords strike home with people."

Opponent focuses elsewhere

Charlie Parks, Fink's Democratic opponent, said illegal immigration is not something he plans to focus on in his campaign.

"I don't see it as a significant issue for the County Council," said Parks, a Democrat from Pasadena. "I think everyone is concerned about illegal immigrants, but I think we have other local issues."

Those include the budget crunch, zoning complaints and maintaining county schools, he said.

"When I get feedback from people, they talk about the economy, about slots," Parks said. "Maybe one out of 20 people will want to talk about (illegal immigration.)"

John Moran IV, a Republican candidate running to unseat incumbent Daryl Jones in District 1, said illegal immigration "isn't in the top three" issues he hears about when meeting with voters.

"It might be fourth," Moran said. "People are concerned about crime, drug dealers, transportation. Slots is a big issue."

Jones, D-Severn, said a lot of Fink's suggestions are in line with what the county already does.

"It is an important issue, particularly with the situation we're in now," he said. "Jobs are pretty tight."

Though immigration enforcement is a federal issue, state and local governments must bear some responsibility, too, he said.

"I think it probably crosses all the lines," he said.

Following Leopold's lead

Fink and Grasso say they hear something different from the voters.

"It's a top issue in our district," Fink said. "People want to know where I stand on it."

According to numbers provided by the county, officers with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement have picked up 190 illegal immigrants in Anne Arundel as of the end of August. Two big sweeps occurred earlier this year at the Red Parrot Asian Bistro and Timbuktu Restaurant and Lounge in Hanover, which falls in District 1.

Fink said if elected, he'll continue what County Executive John R. Leopold began in 2007, when he signed an executive order requiring companies that do business with the county to sign affidavits swearing that they don't hire undocumented workers. He'll also cut government funding to any nonprofit that provides assistance to illegal immigrants.

Also that year, Leopold denied a $115,000 grant to El Centro de Ayuda, a nonprofit that helps Spanish speakers learn English and get jobs, because the group did not ensure it offered aid only to legal immigrants.

"Leopold has made significant strides," Fink said.

Fink said he'd also crack down on landlords who rent to known illegal immigrants, conduct random audits of companies that do business with the county and take advantage of a federal program that trains local police officers on immigration enforcement.

Task force sought

Grasso said illegal immigration is a countywide issue, and it dovetails with concerns voters have about the economy.

"Going door to door, people say, we don't have jobs because they're taking the jobs," he said. "These people are hot about it. No one has a problem with immigrants. But you do it the right way."

He also commended Leopold's 2007 executive order, saying he wants to make sure that it can't be overturned. He said the county also needs to create a task force that would monitor businesses suspected of hiring undocumented workers.

The direct mailers are a way of letting voters know how he feels on such issues, Grasso said.

"I don't want anyone voting for me who doesn't think the way I do," he said.

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