City Hall: ‘America must fix our broken immigration system’

Park City leaders this week will consider whether to align City Hall with a group of mayors and businesspeople from across the U.S. calling for federal immigration reforms, an unexpected move by a municipal government that has been reluctant in the past to insert itself into national-level discussions.

Mayor Dana Williams and the Park City Council on Thursday are scheduled to discuss the idea of City Hall joining a group known as the Partnership for a New American Economy. The group pushes for what it describes as “sensible immigration reform,” with a focus on the potential economic benefits, according to its website.

The Partnership for a New American Economy counts well-known businesspeople like News Corporation’s Rupert Murdoch and top-tier politicians like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as some of its leaders. The organization’s lineup is bipartisan.

“The No. 1 point of this whole thing is to create a better dialog that makes more sense,” Williams said.

Williams said he supports the overarching goals of the Partnership for a New American Economy.

The City Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. The discussion about the Partnership for a New American Economy will likely begin shortly after the start of the meeting. A hearing is not scheduled, but the mayor often allows the public to make comments even if a formal hearing is not on the agenda.

Michael Kovacs, the assistant Park City manager, issued a report this week recommending the City Council authorize the mayor to join the group on behalf of Park City.

In a resolution attached to the report supporting a decision to join the group, the municipal government declares, “America must fix our broken immigration system so that it secures our borders while welcoming immigrants who are essential for America’s economic growth.” That allows the country to compete in the modern-day economy, the resolution says.

The Kovacs report indicates Salt Lake City has joined the Partnership for a New American Economy and West Valley City is mulling whether to join the group. The report also notes that Bloomberg’s office has shown an interest in having Park City serve as a spot for meetings about immigration.

However, Kovacs also cautions in the report “there is the potential for a modest backlash from some local citizens or others in the state” if they perceive the Partnership for a New American Economy as having a “pro-forgiveness/amnesty immigration policy.”

Kovacs is from Canada and obtained dual citizenship between the U.S. and his native country in 2001.

The business leaders active in the organization employ nearly 3.5 million people with sales topping $2.7 trillion annually, according to the group’s website. The mayors who are involved lead cities with a combined population of more than 24 million, the website says.

Park City since the 1990s has been an attractive destination for immigrants from Mexico, both people who arrived in the country with the proper papers and those who entered illegally. They were drawn by the booming economy the Park City area enjoyed for a decade-plus prior to the recession, with plentiful jobs in construction and the resort sectors.

The interest in the Partnership for a New American Economy was unexpected. Park City leaders in the past have been cautious when asked to take stands on issues of national or international significance, notably rejecting calls to endorse some sort of anti-war or peace declaration in the period before the start of the Iraqi war. The mayor and City Council could see a stand on immigration reform, though, as having more direct relevance to Park City.

Immigration principles: secure borders, establish path to legal status

The Partnership for a New American Economy has crafted a set of principles it supports regarding immigration that touches on issues like border security and opportunities for immigrants in the United States work force. City Hall might join the group.

The principles are: