Farmers Branch's May 10 election poses a pivotal question: Will
the suburb known nationwide for its efforts to expel illegal
immigrants push forward on the same path, or will its some
26,000 residents chart a new course?  Mayor Pro Tem Tim O'Hare
was the driving force behind Ordinance 2903, which would have
prohibited landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. Despite
wide approval in a referendum last spring, it remains blocked in
the courts. Now, O'Hare is poised to become the town's mayor. He
and his allies on the council are maintaining their hard line on
immigration while insisting that the divisive issue is just one
component of a long-term vision for the city that includes
revamping old houses and redeveloping commercial areas to draw a
higher-end clientele.  Yet O'Hare's detractors—including his
mayoral opponent Gene Bledsoe—contend the 38-year-old attorney
and his supporters have remade the town into an intolerant
backwater. Critics point not only to the immigration efforts but
also to strict code