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Lemoore councilmembers share many of the same priorities as new year begins
The predominant theme – emerging from at least four of the five councilmembers – is economic development from a retail and job-creating perspective, and Lemoore’s Mayor Pro Tem, Eddie Neal, may have put the issue in proper perspective, telling The Leader that during his recent campaign, in which he finished atop a five-person field, he heard a common refrain from his constituents about the need for more good-paying jobs.
“My constituents have a great concern with the unemployment rate in Lemoore,” said Neal. “Many of my constituents, during my campaign, requested that the city council find a way to create more jobs.”
Councilmembers' complete comments
Neal said he also intends to get to work by working with city planners and developers to improve the Pioneer Square retail area and seek retail and commercial possibilities in the acreage surrounding West Hills College Lemoore.
He’s also excited about helping to enhance the Lemoore Community Services Department, formally, Lemoore Recreation and work to improve and enhance the programs the department currently does.
“I’m really pleased with our new director, Jason Glick. He’s brought a new perspective to our recreation programs, and I think we need to continue in that direction.”
In addition to economic development, financial responsibility and public safety were also a common them as Mayor Ray Madrigal echoed some of what the other councilmembers think. “I think a personal priority is to maintain a balanced budget through reasonable and prudent spending decisions,” he told The Leader.
“A key to that effort is to follow the 5-year plan the council recently adopted that contains several strategic initiatives, and these initiatives help focus on achieving a sense of community and small town feel while we strive to develop into a mid-sized full-service community.”
Madrigal reiterated his support for public safety, insisting it’s a top priority. “We all know that without a safe environment in which to live and work nothing else really matters nor would anything else be achievable.”
The city’s growth, water, infrastructure also appear to rank high on the council’s list of priorities and newcomer Hollie Blair says that in addition to pursuing economic development opportunities – jobs and retail – she wants to take it a step further. “I’d like to explore industrial growth and infrastructure projects that address water improvement plans, as well as, offer the opportunity to hire local talent to complete projects,” she said.
Her priorities extend to a wide variety of city departments, including the city’s rising water rates, and she worries about income disparity in many of Lemoore’s citizens and their ability to keep up with fines, new taxes or fees. “At what point do we say enough? The poverty and income disparity in our area concern me deeply, and I do not support regressive taxation,” she said. “I want to make sure that perspective is being heard at council meetings before any new taxes or fees are enacted.”
As with the others, Blair is pleased with Lemoore’s aggressive stance on addressing Lemoore’s water infrastructure issues which calls for spending upwards of $33 million over the course of a recently approved 5-year Capital Improvement Plan.
“The city’s plan to treat our municipal water, as well as, improve the city’s water infrastructure is fantastic,” said. “We should have fixed some of our failing infrastructure needs years ago, and we are on the right track to having new pipes and cleaner water throughout the city.”
Dave Brown, who joins Blair as the two new councilmembers, says his top priority is to listen to people, and like the others, ensure that Lemoore’s business is done in a financially responsible way. “I want to give our city manager the direction and guidance she needs for success,” said Brown. “I also want to ensure we have an open and transparent city government.”
He said city officials need to continue their work on short and long range goals to improve the city’s sanitary sewer and domestic water infrastructure, and like his fellow councilmembers wants to find ways to spark local economic development.
Brown added that it is the people of Lemoore and its city employees who make the city work. “I believe that we have a lot of dedicated, hardworking citizens who live in Lemoore and who care about its future,” he said. “Our city employees truly care about quality of service and the people of Lemoore. They understand who we work for and that is the people.”
Jeff Chedester is on the same page as the others when it comes to water, wanting to ensuring that the city’s multi-year plan to upgrade Lemoore’s water infrastructure and filtering system comes to fruition and the city continues to grow responsible.
“I feel that we should continue to grow our city in a responsible and professional manner and to conserve the character and integrity of our small town fell,” he said.
He says he’s also pleased with the direction of the finance department citing a restructuring of the way the city’s finances are reported.
