Elections 2022 will be held on November 8th.

Fillmore City Council has two full-term (4-year) seats on council and four candidates, Carrie Broggie, Albert Mendez, Zachary Lotshaw and Luis Rodriquez.

The Gazette submitted 3 questions to each candidate. The three specific questions were:

1. Qualifications which prepare you to serve on Council.

2. What actions taken by the current council in the last two years do you agree with most and why? What actions do you disagree
with most and why?

3. What is your vision for Fillmore if elected/reelected? What do you perceive as the five most important priorities for the
city?

ZACHARY LOTSHAW

1. Qualifications which prepare you to serve on Council.

To be a qualified representative, you need to know the people you represent. I’ve spent much of my time getting to know people from all walks of life - from serving in my church, providing child care to families, working with community groups, organizing street clean ups, and helping our disadvantaged by connecting them to needed resources. My many years of service have taught me to meet people where they are in life, listen with an open mind, and organize to make a difference.

Additionally, my educational path has enhanced those skills to best serve my community. I have my Bachelors in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Law and Public Policy from CSU Channel Islands and am currently a law student at the Colleges of Law in Ventura. I will use my education to craft sound and equitable public policy, utilize up-to-date best practices, and apply my knowledge and skillset to ensure Fillmore has a bright, sustainable future.

2. What actions taken by the current council in the last two years do you agree with most and why? What actions do you disagree with most and why?

I am pleased that the current council has provided our Downtown direct support through grants to help revitalize their facades. This current funding is a one-time allocation. If elected, I would continue working closely with our local businesses, identify their needs, and find creative solutions to provide support.

I am disappointed with the lack of attentiveness the current city council has given to our vital Housing Element of the General Plan. The city paid an outside firm over $160,000 to finish the element by October of 2021 (before it was due to the State). When that didn’t happen, the city was given another date, which came and passed, and then another. The draft was only recently published. There is no reason why the council did not prioritize the Housing Element and push for its completion. It is now so late, we have likely lost grant/funding opportunities from the State as a result. Housing planning must be prioritized.

3. What is your vision for Fillmore if elected/reelected? What do you perceive as the five most important priorities for the city?

If elected, I will continue my lifelong dedication to service by focusing on: affordable/accessible housing, public safety, decreasing the cost of energy, improving access to city services, and revitalizing our Downtown. With the opening of the Mountain View Apartments, we saw roughly 800 applications from Fillmore residents, the need for housing is dire. I envision working directly with developers to bring in affordable housing developments, and with the Sheriffs to enhance our public safety. I plan to collaborate with State and Federal partners to address our energy needs - especially to push for safe infrastructure, lowering the need for emergency shut offs, and securing lower rates for our residents. I will be proactive in outreach to our Spanish-speaking residents and other communities that often feel disconnected from local government. My vision for Fillmore is that it remains true to the community I love, and that as a Councilmember, I help to ensure all residents have a sense of belonging and that together, we build a safer and healthier community.

I hope to earn your vote by November 8th. Learn more at www.ZacharyForFillmore.com.

CARRIE BROGGIE

1. Qualifications which prepare you to serve on Council.

I have worked in public service most of my adult life. As a member of the District Attorney’s management team for 27 years, I became an advocate for public safety and learned the importance of having a safe community. Additionally, I served as a Fillmore city council member from 2014 through 2018. I was also mayor of Fillmore in 2017. I have been serving as a planning commissioner for our community for four years. I am intimately familiar with issues that are impacting our community.

2. What actions taken by the current council in the last two years do you agree with most and why? What actions do you disagree with most and why?

I believe our city council has done an exemplary job of moving our city forward through some very tough times. One need only compare the city budget of two years ago to the budget we have today. Beyond this statement, I am not in a position to agree or disagree with decisions made by this current council because I have not been privy to the full context of facts that each council member had when they voted to pass/not pass an agenda item.

3. What is your vision for Fillmore if elected/reelected? What do you perceive as the five most important priorities for the city?

My vision for Fillmore is to see it retain and improve upon its quaint, small-town charm while moving forward with business development and housing affordability. My five most important priorities for the city are:
1) Work to keep Fillmore a united community by preventing the divisiveness that is impacting the rest of the country from permeating our community.
2) Focus on our youth by seeking out venues and activities that they can engage in and demonstrating to our youngest citizens that our community cares about them.
3) Fight Sacramento to prevent new legislation from infringing upon our City’s right for local control. For example, legislation was just signed into law that permits developers to bypass reviews by our planning commission and city council, allowing them to construct residential projects in locations not zoned residential.
4) Improve our infrastructure, including streets, sidewalks, underground pipes, and bike paths. Our historical downtown district is currently being assessed for improvements, and I will ensure that recommendations made by our merchants and citizens are implemented.
5) Enhance our city parks, see the dog park improvements completed and reopened, and develop other recreational areas. I want to partner with our County representatives to develop marked, accessible hiking trails so our residents are able to spend more time making use of our beautiful surroundings.

ALBERT MENDEZ

1. Qualifications which prepare you to serve on Council.
I have spent the past 8 years serving on the city of Fillmore Planning Commission. During this time, I have learned how to review projects related to land, housing and the permit process. I have become familiar with documents such as the Fillmore master plan, downtown specific plan and the Heritage Valley Park Specific Plan.

2. What actions taken by the current council in the last two years do you agree with most and why? What actions do you disagree with most and why?
I agree with the council’s decision to eliminate specific employment requirements for large warehousing and distribution uses in the business park. This eliminated the requirement of one job for every 900 square feet of floor space for Warehouse and Distribution Facilities over 45,000 square feet in the Business Park zone, Ordinance # 22-939.
The action I disagree with the most is not passing the housing element. As of today, the housing element for the city of Fillmore is not done. I disagree with this because the city is not eligible to receive grant money that is available for housing in the city.

3. What is your vision for Fillmore if elected/reelected? What do you perceive as the five most important priorities for the city?
My vision of Fillmore would be a vibrant and thriving downtown business district. A city that businesses want to do business in, a city that invests in infrastructure, community, parks/outdoor space and public safety.
The top five most important priorities for the city would be;
• Downtown business-attracting more business to Fillmore
• Infrastructure Needs. i.e paving our roads, replacing way finding signs, maintain parks, information Technology.
• Creating a plan for our homeless population
• Addressing our housing needs, crating more affordable housing, build for our community
• Adding more service for our senior citizens

LUIS RODIGUEZ

1.
I was born and raised in Fillmore and went to school here from K through 12. I have spent most of my life with a passion for the Arts, Fitness and Business. I spent 12 years helping people of all ages work on their fitness goals and get back into health as a Fitness Instructor. I spent 3 of the last 4 years working for the FUSD where I helped develop an Art Class at Sierra High School and put together Engaging and Educational projects for the Fillmore Middle School ASES program as Program Coordinator.

Growing up with my town allowed me to see the community as Family. Working with the children of people who I grew up with solidified that feeling for me. I truly believe I am in a unique position to help bring this community together.

2.
After hearing out David Rowlands on the Sierra Northern Railway decision, it became obvious that this city is willing to make tough decisions for the benefit of the community. Although bad press and community displeasure, City Council and Planning stayed strong on their decision to protect the town from a potentially disruptive business model and activities that may affect the publics quality of life.

One thing I disagreed with over the years was the absence of certain projects such as the Sespe Creek Car Show and the 4th of July Fireworks. The Car Show was outdoors and there was no doubt that the attendance would have been lower than usual so missing it two years really put a damper on Fillmore’s and made an emotionally tough time more difficult.

3.
My vision for this City is to reinvigorate the cultural identity of Fillmore. We will undoubtedly be losing tourism with the absence of the train. Over the years many mural projects have fallen through. Creativity and Unity used to be the Identity of Fillmore and I feel like it has been losing some of its identity. We need to be a destination, not just a pass through.

I would also like to emphasize a focus on jobs, we need to attract residents and tourists to our existing businesses while bringing in more opportunities. We recently acquired RSI which is a great technological resource for the future of our youth. Our Business Park has plenty of space for more industries such as assembly lines, manufacturing, and engineering to occupy. As new homes are being developed, we will need more opportunities for our residents to make living wage jobs.