On the job training is great. It really is. It does have limitations, though. Councilman Ueckert says there is nothing the city can do about Huffines Plaza and the illegal immigrants that stand around all day and solicit themselves. He's wrong, but it's not really his fault. The Lewisville city council has never done anything to solve this problem, so Dean can't be expected to know anything about the solutions that are available. My bachelors degree in government isn't essential for the role of mayor, but this is a great example of how it will be beneficial. I know how to fix this.

It's important that you demand specific ideas and solutions from the candidates during this campaign. Taglines aren't going to cut it. So here are the specifics:
Huffines Plaza is private property. Like every building and shopping center, it falls into a specific category for zoning purposes. The city of Lewisville doesn't include the type of solicitation that takes place in Huffines Plaza as an acceptable use in any zoning category. Initially, going after the illegal immigrants directly presents more challenges than going after the property owner.

Step 1. A code enforcement officer would issue a citation to the property owner for illegal land use. Allowing this solicitation is illegal.

Step 2. The city would continue to issue citations as often as is allowed by law until the property owner takes care of the problem.

Step 3. The property owner will likely say that he can't make them leave, or that he needs help.

Step 4. The city will explain to the property owner that if they explicitly ban solicitation, we'll be able to go after anyone who breaks the rules.

Step 5. The city and the property owner will work in concert and the problem will be solved once and for all.

This is completely legal and it won't result in any lawsuits for the city. There are cities that are doing this right now and they no longer have a solicitation problem. They haven't been sued, either.

You might be thinking, "Great! We finally have someone willing to present a long term solution! But what will the illegal immigrants do once they aren't able to get work in Lewisville?" Great question! We sent our Spanish speaking correspondent to Huffines Plaza to ask the illegal immigrants that very question. We'll have the video up shortly. You'll be encouraged by what we learned.

*The steps were described this way for conceptual comprehension.