By:  Jackie Hardy, NDG Contributing Writer

Irving voters will go to the polls on June 18 to decide who will be the City’s next mayor.  Incumbent Herbert Gears and former City Council Member Beth Van Duyne will face each other again in a run-off election.  According to a WFAA Channel 8 report, the results from the Irving Mayoral election held on May 14 consist of the following voter percentage breakdown: Van Duyne (41 percent); Gears (38 percent); Joe Putnam (14 percent); and Tom Spink (7 percent).

Mayoral candidate Van Duyne received the highest amount of votes with a total of 4,373, but was unable to win the majority.  Gears came in second with 3,984 votes trailing by only 389 votes.  Gears and Van Duyne both have a loyal voter base.  With the first election being a close one, this mayoral race will most likely go till the very end.

Who will truly win or lose in this election is the bigger question minority voters must consider.  Irving is a community that is as diverse as its architectural beauty.   Based on 2010 U.S. Census data, Irving has a population comprised of 30.8 percent White; 11.8 percent African American; 13.9 percent Asian; 0.4 percent Native American; 0.1 percent Pacific Islander and 41.1 percent Hispanic.  Electing a mayor who understands the issues important to its diverse population is critical to the vitality and progression of the city.

Van Duyne touts her professional experience as a senior corporate officer and business owner with respect to her ability to lead and create job opportunities.  There have been concerns over the validity of her company, BCI Marketing and Monumentals Inc.  North Dallas Gazette has learned in a document submitted by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accountants that both companies held by Van Duyne are not in “good standing as it has not satisfied all the franchise tax requirements.”

Transparency is one of the platforms Van Duyne continues to preach on, but has not practiced what she has preached with respect. She has not provided transparency as it relates to the complete nature of of the financial status of her businesses.  Irving faces tough economic challenges and in this strained economic climate it is paramount that the next mayor has the business savvy and knowledge to manage, as well as oversee budgets while creating job growth for all residents in both the northern and southern sectors of the City.

Like the City of Dallas, the economic culture of those residents who live in the north vastly contrast to those residents living in the southern sectors of the Irving.  Under the current mayoral leadership, Irving is seeing economic development through their Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), but there is a true concern with some community and business leaders that the economic gap that was once ignored in previous local governments will resurface if Van Duyne is elected.

“I have serious concerns that Beth Van Duyne would not be sensitive to the needs of the minority community.  When she was on the City Council she had numerous opportunities to show all of Irving the love and she did not seize that opportunity.  The current mayor [Herbert Gears] may not be perfect; however, I do believe he tries to do what is best for all of Irving regardless of race or religious background,” said Don Herring, Jr., owner of Don Herring Mitsubishi and Board Member of the Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC).

Former Chair of IHCC, Rene’ Castilla shares a different view with respect to how Van Duyne would serve the Minority and Women Business Enterprise community.  Castilla believes she will be as sensitive to the issues the minority business communities face because she knows firsthand the challenges that come to both minority and women-owned businesses.

“I think as a woman and a business owner she will bring that sensitivity to the office not only because she is a woman, but because the office of the mayor requires it and I think she can do that as well as anybody.  To me Beth has grown from the time she was on the City Council to the time she is now seeking the position of mayor and in that growth comes maturity and understanding that we live in a diverse community and she has had to listen and serve all points of that community and I think she will do that as Mayor,” states Castilla.

North Dallas Gazette reached out to the Van Duyne campaign to allow them the opportunity to answer the questions about the forfeited existence status deemed by the Secretary of State on the two businesses led by candidate Van Duyne, as well as answer questions on specific ways her companies has created economic growth.  Unfortunately, we have been unsuccessful in getting a response from her campaign and have been unsuccessful in finding a list of business clients she has served to provide our readers with a track record of Van Duyne’s business accomplishments and experience.

Minority voters will also need to take a serious look at the direction they would like to see Irving take as they address Illegal Immigration issues.  Candidate Van Duyne has publicly supported the controversial Section 287 (g) under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).  To see Van Duyne’s public comments on this topic, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvNvf9m85g or http://despiertairving.blogspot.com.

According to Wikipedia, Section 287 (g) is a Federal Act that authorizes the Federal Government to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions, pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement, provided that the local law enforcement officers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.  Under 287(g), ICE provides state and local law enforcement with the training and subsequent authorization to identify, process, and when appropriate, detain immigration offenders they encounter during their regular, daily law-enforcement activity.

Manuel Benavidez, Irving Civil Rights Activist who received a favorable ruling in July 2009 from Judge Jorge Solis ordering Irving to change the at-large voting system election of City Council members to a single-member voting system for those districts with a large minority population to insure equal representation of government has concerns. He feels it will give local law enforcement the power to act as ICE agents and could be an open gate to the unfair treatment of Hispanic residents of Irving.  Benavidez is concerned the 287 (g) would give local law enforcement full discretion and authority to enforce this federal law when in fact no crime has been committed.

“The police department is certainly not for that particular program and nationally 287 (g) is not producing what it thought it would produce; therefore I do not see it as something that will come before the Council or one of Van Duyne’s major initiatives she would intend to do if elected as Mayor.”

“What is in place now, the Criminal Alien Deportation Program (implemented under Gears watch) is working and is providing the City the opportunity to address the criminal aliens without causing grief to the community at-large, “ comments Castilla.

Historically the turn-out in local elections among minorities are low and it proved to be the case in the May elections.  It is the hope of the various business and community leaders that minorities will get out and vote in June.

Community leaders are particularly hoping voters within the minority community will take a stand in this upcoming run-off election.  This election is important because the issues that matter the most to the voters who make up the diverse population of Irving could have the power to see those issues move forward in the direction of progress.

“If minorities do not believe their vote will make a difference they will be ambivalent so it is important that they know their vote counts. In an at-large election like this, I hope they know that their vote can make a difference and that their vote could sway the entire election if there is a strong turn-out among minorities,” added Herring.