Thankful and Grateful

Thanksgiving is here already!

Can you believe it?

This a great time of year in Tehachapi and I’m grateful for this wonderful community. In the spirit of this gracious holiday, I’d like to take the opportunity offer my own sincere thanks for some of the many things I am grateful for.

First and foremost, I am thankful to live under the flag of our great nation. Each year, as elections come and go peacefully, I’m reminded that despite our shortcomings and disagreements, we are still a nation full of good people who want nothing more than to experience the American Dream.

I’m also grateful for the beautiful Tehachapi valleys that we call “home”. They are filled with hard-working people, who want to grow themselves and their families into something better than they were yesterday and the day before. Thank you to everyone who chooses to be involved in the affairs of our community in a positive way. It’s not always easy, but it will be worth it.

On a more personal level, I’d like to thank councilmember Mary Lou Corpus-Zamudio for her years of dedicated service and leadership to our city. She will be missed on the City Council, but I know she is the kind of person that will continue to dedicate herself to make Tehachapi a better place for our residents, visitors, and especially our local businesses.

I want to also extend my thanks to our Mayor Phil Smith, who will be passing on the mayoral gavel to a new mayor at the end of this year. He’s been a staunch advocate for Tehachapi, especially in transportation issues, and I’m sure he will continue to be in his role as a Councilmember.

To our other councilmembers, Ed Grimes, Susan Wiggins, and Kim Nixon, as well as councilmember-elect Dennis Wahlstrom, I am grateful for your continued support of this community and of the city staff. As partners with local residents, we can all continue to Live Up in Tehachapi.

I’d also like to our planning commissioners, Charles White, Sonja Wilson, Marianna Teel, David Butler, and Daryl Christensen, who have volunteered their time to ensure that quality, beauty, functionality and safety are key components to our city.

To everyone that voted for or against Measure F, I’d like to say thank you for exercising your right to vote and for helping to provide your direct feedback for the future of this community. We will take it and move forward, keeping our eye on the goal of building a city that our citizens are proud of.

Thank you also to all of the city staff for all their hard work and continued support in making our town great. Let me say thank you again to all of the people and groups mentioned above and all of the agencies, groups and individuals that I did not. There are countless numbers of people in our community who are continuing to work together to improve our quality of life. I wish I could thank them all personally but this will have to do. Have a safe and happy holidays and we look forward to working with each of you in the coming months and years.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for this column, please contact me at (661) 822-2200, ext. 105, or at [email protected].