Erin Teran Challenges Glenn A. Miller in Indio

INDIO — An Indio woman, Erin Teran, will challenge longtime City Council incumbent Glenn Alan Miller for the District 1 seat in the Nov. 3 General Municipal Election. Miller is currently serving a one-year rotation as mayor.

Teran, a registered nurse at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, has pulled her papers to formally start the process.

In a Facebook post announcing her intentions, Teran said, “I am excited to announce my candidacy for Indio City Council, District 1. Indio is my hometown and I am looking forward to improving my community and to be of service to the residents of Indio.”

In announcing the kick-off, organizers say, “The Care Indio Needs is here. Nurse Erin Teran is ready to lead our city through this pandemic and to create a safe, prosperous future for the residents of Indio.”

Erin Teran was raised in Indio and attended Indio schools throughout elementary and middle school and graduated from Indio High School. She is a proud Indio Rajah. After high school, she went on to learn the trade of working as a legal secretary and attended paralegal classes.

She worked many years in both the private and public sectors, specializing in civil litigation for business and real estate, family law and probate. Her background in the legal field gives her a strong foundation and skill set to take on the roles and decision-making process for City Council, she told Uken Report.

“I went back to school later in life to become a Registered Nurse, working as a waitress while attending classes full time,” She said. “I am a Union Nurse Representative and Delegate for California Nurses Association, Region 9. Nursing has given me the critical thinking skills to work well under pressure. I am running for City Council because I love my hometown and I have a passion for my city. I think we need leaders that have values that align with our own and understand the needs of the everyday working person.”

“I have the skills, experience and perspective that is so needed in Indio at such a critical moment as we are experiencing now,” Teran added. “Now more than ever, we need people that are willing to stand up and speak out on behalf of the residents. In fact, currently in Indio we have the highest Covid 19 cases and death rates. Our local hospitals are currently being overwhelmed. We need our leaders to get in front of this pandemic with a strong presence until we can get this virus under control. My healthcare background will bring an important voice to the table as we move forward in the coming years.”

Teran was instrumental in organizing a group of people—mostly born and raised in Indio—that organized a rally on June 9, at Miles Avenue Park to fight for racial equality and urgently needed policing reforms.

The group called itself We Are Indio—and called the event #NoMoreHashtags.

In addition to his City Council duties, Miller, first elected in 2008, serves as District Director for the 28th California State Senate District.

Incumbent City Councilmember Lupe Ramos Amith is also seeking re-election in District 5. To date, she has no opposition.

Both Ramos Amith and Miller announced their intentions to run lasts year and started raising money for their campaigns.

When when Indio moved to districts in November 2018, longtime incumbent Councilmember Michael H. Wilson and Troy Strange lost to political newcomers Waymond Fermon and Oscar Ortiz respectively.