Never underestimate the power of a political firestorm

Timothy O'Hare, an SMU-trained lawyer who opened the Offices of Timothy O'Hare & Associates in 2001, is the newly elected mayor of Farmers Branch, winning 64 percent of the vote on Saturday. As mayor pro tem, O'Hare has led Farmers Branch's fight to keep illegal immigrants from renting housing. In April, he reported raising $47,000 for his election campaign. The city has spent $727,607 to date on legal fees defending the rental ban, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Could it be that all the free media coverage generated by the controversy helped his margin of victory more than the $47,000?
-- Miriam Rozen