English First Only Bill Passes Council

The vote was 21-10. It was pointed out in the debate that there is no enforcement mechanism for requiring Metro meetings and office business to be conducted in English beyond the Charter's standard $50 fine for violating a Metro ordinance. Council member Michael Craddock said that the English Only resolution was not about the law; it was about "making a statement." He also said that he almost never leaves Madison, so he has no need to learn a foreign language. Bill opponent Ginger Hauser expressed her concern that council members whose constiuencies included Hispanic or Kurdish populations might feel inhibited in communicating with their constuents as they saw fit for fear of appearing to violate a Metro ordinance.