New Haven, Conn., the home of Princeton Yale University, has many similarities to Durham. It’s the home of a prestigious university, it’s governance is habitually left wing, and it’s a city that has its share of what are know as “urban problems.”
So, when the city fathers of New Haven do something really dumb, can Durham be far behind?:
New Haven is taking its immigrant-friendly approach one step further and has proposed allowing non-citizen residents, including those who are undocumented, to vote in municipal elections.
The proposal is part of a package it will submit to state lawmakers for the session that starts in February.
Mayor John DeStefano Jr. Tuesday said the impetus behind the proposal is “to build a more engaged participatory community” and it follows the example of other cities that have already done this.
After all, both are “sanctuary cities,” though Durham tries to dispute that notion. But a resolution it adopted on Oct.20, 2003 (#9046), belies that.
Building a “more engaged participatory community” is the kind of thing the Durham City Council will find hard to resist. When they see this story from New Haven, I have every confidence that one of the council left-wingers will ask the city attorney to draw up a similar proposal for Durham.
UPDATE: Brain freeze on Yale vs. Princeton. Sorry about that.
