Language ordinance could end up on F'wood ballot

Remember late last year, when Friendswood officials started discussing an ordinance that would make English the city's official language? Well, the discussion's still going on: A group of Friendswood residents showed up at a city council hearing yesterday to voice their opinions on the idea — both for and against it.

"I don't think this issue is divisive unless you make it divisive," said Margaret Zimmer who is for the proposal. "I don't think it's mean spirited unless you allow it to become mean spirited."

"An official English ordinance could lead to the beginning of discrimination in Friendswood," said Frank Ortiz who is against the proposal. "Especially against Hispanics, who in my opinion may be the target of this divisive proposal."

In case you've forgotten, this all started in November, when a group of Spanish-speaking city employees was trimming trees near William Hilburn's house. One of the men started talking to Hilburn, who couldn't understand him: "He come out and come up and stood right there and was trying to tell me about his 'boothis' and pointing at the tree," Hilburn said last year. "He just kept on talking and pointing at the tree and saying 'boothis.'" Hilburn took the story to the city council, which first considered a requirement that all city employees be fluent in English but later switched to an ordinance that would make English the official language in Friendswood. Thing is, officials said the ordinance wouldn't make it illegal to speak another language — it would just be, uh, a sort of safeguard. "Friendswood does not have a language problem in the city now. I want to head this off before we do," City Councilman Chris Peden said.

The city council will vote Monday on whether to include the current proposal — to amend the Friendswood city charter with the statement, "English is the official language of Friendswood" — on the ballot for the May 12 city election. Though the proposal is still stirring up discussion, what remains unclear is exactly what it would do: "It doesn't mean someone couldn't request something in Spanish or talk to us in German," Friendswood Mayor David Smith told KTRK. "It doesn't mean anything." Which leads us to the obvious question: Is this all just a bunch of boothis?