New year as a new council member

We are coming to the end of another year and heading toward a fresh start for 2021. I am looking hopefully upon the New Year as

I enter my first term as a council member in the midst of one of the most difficult periods for our city and the world. It is humbling to have earned this position, and I look forward to serving the city of Santa Clarita alongside my fellow council members. Through the challenges our community has endured and continues to engage, I have no doubt Santa Clarita will continue to be the safe, close-knit city we are all proud to call home.

Let me introduce myself. I am a husband, father, engineer and lifelong Californian. I am married to my beautiful wife, Chandra, and have two children, Aiden, 4, and Avery, 2. Santa Clarita has been my home for nearly a decade, and I couldn’t imagine establishing my family’s roots anywhere else. I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I am a principal engineer for GP Strategies Corp.

I also have enjoyed serving and supporting local organizations. I currently serve on the advisory board for the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley, which provided a safe environment for learning and making friends when I was a child. I also support the Valley Industry Association, where I served as the vice chair of advocacy, and the WiSH Foundation.

Now that the community knows a little more about me, I want also to acknowledge that I see and sympathize with the challenges that our residents of all different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses and ethnicities have dealt with this year. Reflecting on the past 12 months, the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to many plans and goals for 2020, and it sadly left a devastating impact on families and businesses in our community and around the nation. If not for the outstanding efforts of Santa Clarita’s essential staff and heroes in health care professions working tirelessly to care for those affected, we may have been in a much worse position. We must also acknowledge our community’s essential workers in grocery stores, education, transit, delivery services, retail, food and beverage and professional services that have shown so much resilience and strength this year. Through “Safer At Home” orders to the beginning stages of reopening, costly business adjustments and more, these workers have continued to push forward despite confusion and ambiguities. Many of our friends’ and families’ livelihoods have been forever changed, and it is critical moving forward that we continue to innovate mechanisms for providing safe methods of commerce, because your work is essential to those you are responsible for.

The city has many exciting projects and initiatives on the way in 2021. We will welcome the new Canyon Country Community Center, along with the new Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. Residents can also expect advancements in the Needham Ranch and Vista Canyon projects, both of which will deliver economic growth.

The library also has great things in store. Visit https://signalscv. com/?p=1045018 to find out more.

As we enter the new year, and I embark on my new role as council member, let’s remember to show compassion to one another and focus on the positive changes that lie ahead for our community. I thank each of our council members, residents and local businesses that continue to make Santa Clarita an amazing place to live, work and play. I must also thank my predecessor, Bob Kellar, for the outstanding work he has done for the community over the past 20 years. I will show the same commitment to Santa Clarita during my time as a council member. Thank you for the opportunity to serve this community, and I wish each of you a happy and safe New Year!