My Bid for Election to the Town Council for a Second Term

As many of you may know I am running for the seat that I currently hold on the Altadena Town Council. I was not elected for my first term, but instead asked if I would consider taking the seat that Mr. Simmons vacated.

At first I was very reluctant to take the position because of the very poor image the council members portrayed. When I visited a few of the monthly meetings it appeared that several members were at odds with each other. They didn’t appear to get along.

However since joining the group it appears that the current members have all learned to actually work together toward taking care of the community’s needs. I am told that this is the first time in quite some time that there has actually been this much cooperation among the members.

Currently we are in a position to start doing things that have been lacking over the years because of the lack of cohesiveness. Meeting only once a month in order to take care of the needs of the community is just not enough. You can’t make substantial changes by only meeting on camera for a two-hour meeting once a month. If we are to truly serve the community we need to find ways of communicating issues more frequently.

The way we communicate with the community is also very poor. Most people are just not that aware of what we do or how we operate. We can do a much better job of that but we will need to modify our means of operation. Since we have no real budget to speak of we need to become more creative with the actual time we meet.

If elected to serve a second term I will become more active in expressing changes that I think would be very beneficial to the council and the community at large.  Understanding our limitations I also understand how we can greatly improve upon how we operate.

We don’t need to throw out the baby with the bathwater but we do need to seriously modify how we reach into the community. Current technology makes that much easier than what was available in the past.

In my census tract of 4602 there are a couple of issues that require immediate attention. It is important that the community know where I stand on the two key issues.

There is a proposal for a school on Palm Street and I oppose that because of its immediate impact upon the neighbors. “NO SCHOOL ON PALM.”

There is a proposal for a cell tower to be installed in the flood basin located at 147 E. Loma Alta Drive. Even though several of the immediate neighbors oppose this tower the majority of the neighbors support it. My position is to represent the majority of the citizens so I am obligated to vote for this tower.

Unfortunately such technology is something that we must get used to because this is only the first wave of the future. The demand for better communication at home and in businesses make it necessary to add in more towers. My hope is that we learn to place them in sites that do not interfere with the peaceful enjoyment of any homeowner.

The bottom line is the fact that I am and will continue to be quite active in my immediate neighborhood as well as the entire community of Altadena, working on things to make us better.

This is not really a political position as much as it is a position of service. Whether I am elected to serve a second term or not I will continue to serve my community.

Again, I ask for your vote, but I repeat, only if you think I am the right person for the position.