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Decision 2014 for Sierra Madre Municipal Election in April

Decision 2014 for Sierra Madre Municipal Election in April

This week we are featuring two of the four candidates. Next week, Sierra Madre Weekly will focus on the remaining city council candidates Gene Goss and Rachelle Arizmendi

City Council Candidate Denise Delmar: : "Sierra Madre is all about water." Courtesy Photo

City Council Candidate Denise Delmar: : “Sierra Madre is all about water.” Courtesy Photo

For Denise Delmar, running for a seat on the Sierra Madre City Council just seems like the thing to do.

A native of Danville in the San Francisco Bay Area, Delmar said she has found her footing in Sierra Madre.

“When I moved into Sierra Madre about seven years ago I didn’t know anybody,” Delmar said. “So, I decided I would volunteer. I got involved with the general plan update. That’s been happening the last five years and I think I should continue my service with the city council. It’s something I could do.”

Along with the proposed development of the Mater Dolorosa Monastery site, Delmar said the biggest issue in the city is its water crisis.

“The biggest issue for me is water,” she said. “It’s the biggest issue for everybody. We have discoloration of water, quantity of water, the way our infrastructure works. That’s a big priority, getting our water system working and making sure the residents are safe with the water they are drinking.”

So, how can the problem be fixedA!X

“As a city council we can make that a priority and use some of the money from the water rate increase they just did and put that aside and develop a project plan that would hold the water treatment and maintenance and hold them to task,” she said. “Make sure that something is being done every single month to get all those pipes replaced. In the meantime, I’m having independent testing of water samples go out from the city to make sure it is safe to drink and pose a health risk.”

Delmar also said the city needs to do a better job reaching out to its residents.

“I want to work on our community engagement,” she said. “I think we’ve lost a little bit of that over the last couple of years. I don’t know why. I would really like to increase our community engagement, not just volunteerism, but letting people know what’s going on in the city. It doesn’t have to be anything big or elaborate, maybe just a quick little news letter in the water bill when it goes out telling them what kind of topics are coming up before the city council. Things like that.”

(Shel Segal can be reached at [email protected]).

City Council Candidate Noah Green wants Sierra Madre to thrive - Courtesy Photo

City Council Candidate Noah Green wants Sierra Madre to thrive – Courtesy Photo

Noah Green hasn’t lived in Sierra Madre all his life, but he’s planning on staying here a long time.

And because of that he’s running for one of the seats on the Sierra Madre City Council.

“I’m running because I love Sierra Madre,” said Green, who’s a lawyer with a Pasadena law firm. “I’m relatively new, but I’m going to be here for another 30, 40 years. I’m invested in the community and I want to make sure it survives and thrives.”

Green said the state of the city’s water system is the top issue for him.

“Not the color of the water coming out of our taps, but securing our water supply for the future,” Green said. “As we all know the state is drying out. We have to be proactive in securing our water supply.”

So, what should be done?

“There is a proposal to add a new pump in Arcadia and link that up to the city water system,” he said. “I’m in favor of pushing that through. There are also discussions of implementing grey water initiatives. Because it doesn’t have as many toxins or impurities in it, it can be recycled.”

Green added installing grey water systems might be the way to go for Sierra Madre residents.

“It costs about $2,000 to $4,000 to implement a grey water system,” he said. “It’s not an easy thing to. The city shouldn’t make everyone retrofit their homes for grey water. It’s a pretty big burden, unless we can find some funding to help ease that burden. I do think that new homes should be required to have it, or if you have substantial renovations. That should be something that’s required.”

As far as the user utility tax is concerned – and this is on the ballot for Sierra Madre residents to decide – he said he feels it should remain in place as it is scheduled to sunset in the coming months.

He added he would like to keep the UUT at 10 percent.

“The question that boils down is what is the scope of local government that you want to haveA!X” Green said. “If you want to keep the services you have right now you have to keep the (user utility tax) at 10 percent. If you pear back the UUT we’re going to start making cuts and we’re going to have to talk seriously about where those cuts would come from.”

(Shel Segal can be reached at [email protected]).

Source Sierra Madre Weekly