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July 27, 2010

Our View: Lino Lakes takes a step backward

The Free Press

If you pass it, they won’t come.

Could that have been the intent of Lino Lakes passing an ordinance that makes English the only language to be used in city materials?

No one in the northern suburb had ever made a request for city materials to be printed in other languages. Some city leaders claimed they were being pro-active by proposing the ordinance, just in case.

City budgets are tight all over, but passing an ordinance to keep bilingual materials out of the budget when they were never in the budget or requested is a waste of time — and money. Staff time to research and prepare an ordinance is not donated. And if this English-only ordinance is challenged in court, as it has been in some places, that could be another much bigger expense.

And in reality, the ordinance provides exceptions to using strictly English in many areas, including public health, public safety, tourism, “the administration of justice” and emergencies. So the way the city does business probably won’t change much.

Instead, critics say that Lino Lakes, which is about 92 percent white, just wants to send a clear message about who is welcome in the community.

Whether that was the intent or not doesn’t matter. That is the perceived outcome. Lino Lakes is now on the map for being the first Minnesota city that has gone out of its way to make it clear that non-English speakers will not receive extra help. The message is that you need to talk like us to belong here.

Anyone who lives in this country knows the value of speaking, reading and writing English. It is the road to further education, employment, independence and stability. The generations of Europeans who came here years ago knew that, and so do the newcomers who come here today from Africa, Asia and Mexico. The adult English language classes offered through community education programs are full of eager students who want to belong and make life better. There really is no need to make the language “official.”

Places that have a diverse population recognize the richness it provides, as well as the challenges. In Mankato, local government bodies are making concerted efforts to build bridges with people from other cultures about how the city and school district works. Panels made up of members from various ethnic backgrounds and city and school personnel have been formed to try to make those connections. The thought is that the more informed local residents are, the smoother the city and school districts run. The Diversity Council also plays a major role in educating everyone from business people to school children.  

Our community may not have everything figured out when it comes to diversity, but like many other cities in the state, we are making attempts to improve relationships among the variety of people who live here and contribute to the local economy.

Lino Lakes leaders may want to take a few field trips around the state and find out why that’s important.

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