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Councilmember Eduardo Gonzalez has resigned
By Anonymous — Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
 Eduardo Gonzalez FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 16, 2013 The City of Fillmore today announced that Councilmember Eduardo Gonzalez has submitted his resignation, effective immediately. Gonzalez has been a Member of the City Council since January of 2012 when he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Councilmember Patti Walker, who resigned due to a move of her residence outside of the City. Gonzalez cited health issues as the reason for his decision, stating that “due to an unforeseen, urgent, and possibly life-threatening health condition which will likely prevent me from being involved in City business for the next several weeks, if not months, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my position on the City Council.” The four remaining City Councilmembers are expected to discuss the process they wish to use to fill the vacancy at an upcoming City Council meeting. State law prescribes the process and affords the City Council the opportunity to either appoint a new Councilmember for the duration of the term, through 2014, or to call for a special election to fill the seat, or a combination of a short term appointment and a special election. The law requires the process to be decided by the City Council within 60 days of the resignation. The resignation letter submitted is below: From the desk of April 15, 2013 The Honorable Mayor and City Council Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council, It is with a heavy heart that today I am submitting my resignation from the Fillmore City Council. It was an honor and privilege to have been appointed in January 2012 to serve the citizens of our great City as a Member of our City Council. Together I believe that we have well represented the diverse opinions of our residents, and while not always agreeing on the many issues which we confronted, I believe that we would all be unanimous in our belief that our individual votes were always in what we each believed were the best interests of the citizens of Fillmore. Due to an unforeseen, urgent, and possibly life-threatening health condition, issues which will likely prevent me from being involved in City business for the next several weeks, if not months, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my position on the City Council. I know that it will take the full attention of the entire City Council over the next few months to navigate the important decision-making processes that our Council is about to embark upon, and it would be unfair to all of you as well as our citizens if you did not have the full attention of all Council Members. The decisions regarding the selection of a new City Manager and Finance Director, the future direction of our city finances, the updating of our visioning plan, the completion of our business park and the processing of the Chevron project are just a few examples of what our City Council must work together on utilizing all of our efforts. So it is with a great regret that I must submit this letter and resign from participating with you in making the decisions that will affect the future of our great City. I have long championed the issues of public safety for our citizens, education and recreational opportunities for our families and youth, and citizen participation of our residents in planning out the future vision for our community. I would hope that our City Council will continue these quests moving forward, and continue to make Fillmore the great City that it is. I am also hopeful that I will be able to overcome the near term challenges that I am now facing, and will once again in the future be an active participant in the governmental process in Fillmore. Thank you for your work with me, and your work for and with the citizens of Fillmore. I wish each of you te best for your future, and for the future of our City. Sincerely you, |
