YUMA, Ariz. - A prospective candidate for City Council in a small Arizona border town will decide by Monday whether to appeal a court ruling that removed her from the ballot based on her poor English proficiency.
Lawyers for Alejandrina Cabrera are considering whether to appeal the decision by Yuma County Superior Court Judge John Nelson to remove her as a candidate for the San Luis City Council.
UPDATE: Cabrera appealed the ruling Friday afternoon, The New York Times and Reuters reported.
Judge Nelson has ordered Cabrera's name off the city's March primary ballot after sociolinguistics expert William Eggington reported to the court that Cabrera did not have enough English language proficiency to serve on the city council.
The judge's decision is based on state law that requires public officials have a proficiency in English. San Luis Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla filed the suit in December.
Cabrera's lawyer, John Minore says Escamilla's opposition to Cabrera is personal.
"The City of San Luis did not file the lawsuit. They had a qualified elector, which just so happens to be the mayor that's been subject to two recalls by the defendant here, Miss Cabrera," Minore said. "And the City of San Luis has illegally spent city money trying to influence an election, which is illegal."
The mayor denies the accusation.
"The city had an interest of making sure that only qualified electors are eligible to be on the ballot," Escamilla said.
Minore added that the linguist lacks an understanding of a border region where both English and Spanish are commonly used.
