Donald Trump

Eminent Domain in Texas Focus of Presidential Campaign

The issue of eminent domain is a hot-button topic on the campaign trail. In the last Republican debate, Donald Trump claimed the Bush family used the practice for personal profit during the construction of Globe Life Park, formerly the Ballpark in Arlington.

Lucille Straten knows first-hand the impact that eminent domain can have on a homeowner.

"It is very devastating. It's like you don't have a right, and you really don't have a right when they take your stuff," said Straten.

Lucille once lived where AT&T Stadium now stands. In fact, her home once stood on what is now the 50-yard-line.

The city of Arlington offered Lucille $70,000 for her property, but she hired an attorney and fought back.

"In the United States how can somebody come along and take your stuff, even though you paid your taxes, you paid for your house. It's just like you never owned anything," said Straten.

Eminent domain is the power of a government entity to take over private property for public use. It's now a topic of debate in the presidential campaign.

Donald Trump snapped back at Jeb Bush after he called Trump out for pushing an elderly homeowner out of her home to build a casino. Trump said Bush had no room to talk because his brother, former President George W. Bush, did the same thing in Arlington when building the ballpark.

"I was watching the debate that night when Gov. Bush challenged Donald Trump – I said, 'Here we go again,'" said Richard Greene, the former mayor of Arlington who was in office at the time.

"It started with the approval of the people of the community who authorized this public project, and if they had not authorized it, it would never have been built," Greene added.

But opponents of the project said they worked hard to keep it from passing because of eminent domain.

"We said no and we fought against it," said attorney James Runzheimer. "Unfortunately the Republican Party has an unfortunate history here, certainly locally, of not standing up for individual landowners as they should have."

Lucille Straten hired an attorney and settled for an undisclosed amount. She said no amount of money can take away the pain of losing a home.

"When you do everything right, then some rich man comes along and takes it away from you, God help (former Arlington Mayor Robert) Cluck and (Dallas Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones for what they did to those people. They think they can get away with it, but I know that God is going punish them for what they've done," she said.

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