Cathedral City must stay united.

As I’m sure you are aware, Cathedral City recently designated five voting districts, three of which have elections in November to select a City Council member to represent each area.

Shenkman & Hughes, a Malibu law firm, notified Cathedral City and threatened to sue for violations of the California Voting Rights Act if the city didn’t adopt a by-district election system.

This Council researched all avenues of the proposed system and unanimously agreed it was the right move to make. We were united in our decision.

Cathedral City retained a professional demographer, NDC. President Doug Johnson created a five-district map, with resident participation, to comply with all federal and state requirements.

One very important advantage of a single-member represented district is that it may boost minority representation on City Council.  Another good point is that it provides voters with strong constituency advocacy because each voter has one, easily identifiable, district representative. By providing voters with an easily identifiable face and by bringing accountability to the neighborhood’s elected official, the representative can be held responsible and either will or won’t be re-elected in the next election.

Cathedral City must stay united.  I promise to serve the entire city, all five districts. Even though I will work my hardest to represent District 3, I will work equally hard for all other districts. I welcome any Cathedral City resident to contact me directly if there are issues that need to be addressed. I have been part of a winning team and will continue to connect with and to support all City Council members. A cohesive team gets the work done!

To keep Cathedral City moving forward, we need team players who will stand united for the city and its residents. I have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am that person. There will be times of adversity and disagreements, but that cannot stop the progress that all residents, staff and Council strive for.

Whatever the outcome of November’s election for three single district representatives, those who are elected to serve this great city must focus on safety and growth, and be fiscally responsible to keep Cathedral City moving forward.