Vellie Seeks Seat in Nov. 6 Polls
November 1, 2007 -- Got something to say?
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FAIRFAX, Virginia - Filipino American leaders and supporters of Vellie Sandalo Dietrich Hall are calling on all ethnic groups to support her in next Tuesdays election in Northern Virginia.
Vellie, a Republican, is the first Filipino American to run for the post of supervisor representing the Mason district in Fairfax county board of supervisors. She hopes to duplicate the feat of Chris Valderrama, a Democrat, who was elected member of the Maryland assembly last year.
Filipino American volunteers led by Maurese Owens, Jon Melegrito and Becky Pagsibigan have been manning phone banks to urge voters to vote for Vellie on Nov. 6. Asian Americans and Latinos are also supporting her candidacy.
On the eve of the election, Vellie strongly came out in support of an issue that is risky to a candidate in a district that has a large ethnic population. She backs the current campaign of the government to crack down hard on illegal aliens.
On Oct. 20, Vellie celebrated the 20th anniversary of her becoming a U.S. citizen surrounded by representatives of the African-American, Filipino, Hispanic, Korean, Taiwanese and Vietnamese communities and joined by Uncle Sam himself. Joining Vellie were Gary Baise, candidate for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Chris Braunlich and Ken Cuccinelli, candidates for the State Senate; Patrick McDade. candidate for Commonwealths attorney; and Steve Hunt and Tessie Wilson, candidates for the School Board. The meeting, organized by Harold Pyon, Chairman of the Asian-American Republican Coalition, was held at the George Mason Public Library in Annandale, and featured discussions by each of the candidates about education, immigration and transportation, among other subjects.
In response to questions about immigration, Vellie described how she waited in the Philippines for over five years to enter the United States legally, and how her sister and brother, having already waited five years, may have to wait an additional 20 years before being able to enter the country this despite being the children of a U.S. combat veteran.
When I came to this country, I had nothing but $25 to my name and my college education, Vellie recalled.
She described how, upon first coming to the United States, she knocked on doors in the upper northwest section of Washington, D.C., looking for work. Here I am, years later, still knocking on doors! she joked, noting that shes visited 15,000 homes in her quest to represent the Mason District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
She said that she has attended civic and sports events, pool parties, parades and community celebrations, stood outside grocery stores and gone to farmers markets and church bazaars, picnics and soccer games. Ive listened to you, and when Im elected, Ill follow through, she declared.
By Rodney J. Jaleco
WASHINGTON D.C. A Mindanao native who is a leading contender in a Virginia electoral contest next month, wants to crack down on illegal immigrants in her district as part of a tough anti-crime agenda.
Its an uphill climb: Vellie Hall is the Republican bet, running against the incumbent county supervisor whos held the post on-and-off since 1995, in a region long dominated by Democrats. But if she pulls it off, she will be the highest elected Filipino American in Northern Virginia.
Its the prime responsibility of the federal government but the consequences of illegal immigration are being felt in our communities, she argued.
Vellie herself immigrated to the US in 1981. She sold doughnut and vegetables in the streets of Butuan City as a kid but destiny would take her overseas. More than anything else, she sees the inherent unfairness of illegal immigration.
There are rules that should be followed. Nobody should enter through the backdoor, everyone should enter just like what I did, she averred.
I resent the fact that people are cutting lines when there are qualified immigrants waiting 10, 15 years to enter the US. I think its unfair for them, Vellie explained.
Illegal immigration is a highly-charged issue, especially in Fairfaxs Mason District where over 60 percent of voters belong to minorities. Fairfax is part of the Greater Washington growth corridor, which many say is fueled by rapid expansion of the immigrant population, particularly by Hispanics and Asians.
This has stretched government resources and services. Crime, in particular, has shot up in Mason District. Vellie says cases of rape have increased 100 percent this year, burglaries by 60 percent.
All these illegal immigrants involved in crime should be rounded up, arrested and deported, Vellie said boldly, cognizant of how politically sensitive this issue is.
There are a lot of really, very angry voters, she declared. Shes tapping into this mounting frustration to convince voters its time for a change. And Vellie is doing it the old, reliable but foot-blistering way pounding the streets and knocking on doors.
And the Fil-Am community is responding to her spirited campaign, rallying around her candidacy. Among her supporters are Fausto Sonny Acuna and his wife Melite. They run TAC Technologies, a large, successful consulting firm with contracts in the State and Defense Departments, among others.
TAC Technologies teaches counter-terrorism strategies to police organizations of countries allied to the US; helped develop and implement the Peace Corps international finance operations; and is involved in the Pentagons international technology and security, industrial affairs, IT, interoperability and special studies programs.
Sonny himself was part of the technical management team that developed the B-1 bomber, Tomahawk cruise missiles, Titan IV space rocket; and serves as a member of the Science and Technology Advisory Council under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Obviously, shes not running for Filipinos, Sonny tells this reporter, shes running for the entire population of the county.
The Acunas home and business are both based in Fairfax county.
I know the first in her list is to serve the needs of Fairfax county. Having said that, as a Filipino Im truly touched by the empowerment. Theres been very, very few of us Filipinos whove gone into public office, he explained, echoing an oft-repeated lament by some Fil-Am leaders that the Filipinos numbers in the US has not really translated into a solid, credible political power base.
Vellie recounted how she met kababayans at a church recently, asking them to help her candidacy. The couple looked confused, Vellie recalled, finally saying that they were residents of Burke county (a more distant area of northern Virginia).
I asked them if they could just wear my campaign pin, because people will be curious. They will ask whos that? But they just looked at me, as if asking whats in it for me?, Vellie said, with a perplexed laugh.
But thats okay, she declared, Im the first one to try reaching out to them. Its slow going, but were empowering our kababayans in the halls of politics. We want to show them that Filipinos are united.
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