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City Beat
Neighbor association election results are announced
J. Michael Gonzales begins second term as WGNA president
By Michele Leung
Members of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association have spoken and cast their votes for their new 2000-2001 board. The candidates ran unopposed, and the leadership will be provided by several present board members who are returning for an additional year.
J. Michael Gonzales was reelected as the association's president. This will be his second year of leadership.
John Gibbs returns for a second stint as first vice president, and Helen Solinski, now a board member, will be the new second vice president.
Cathy Marshall comes back as the group's secretary, while Lynn Repetsky fills in as treasurer, returning to the organization after a hiatus. Margaret Hardy, the treasurer for the past year, resurfaces as one of the elected board members, as do Sharon Fierro and Lupe O'Malley. Newby Vern Ladd rounds out the board.
Finally, Jim Gardner and WGNA old-timer Larry Ames represent president Gonzales' appointed board members.
According to Ames, 13 percent of the eligible voters returned their ballots. The result is significant, he says. "It's important because it gives us a mandate for the president to speak on our behalf at City Hall," he says.
Ames says that the nominating committee had to recruit individuals for the election, which is not unusual. While it may be hard for residents to give their time to deal with traffic mitigation or downtown revitalization plans, Ames has been involved with the organization since 1981, calling himself a "sucker" for neighborhood issues. "I like to participate in the neighborhood, and I like to see what's happening," he says.
Ames will focus his interest in the community to enhance the group's newsletter. As the editor, he intends to provide a forum to local officials for regular updates on city matters, writing briefs on new businesses opening up shop on Lincoln Avenue, and penning informative blurbs on old Willow Glen.
Ladd, who is a newcomer to the organization, got involved to make Willow Glen a better paradise than it is now. A year with the Bicycle Advisory Group gave him a start in neighborhood activism.
Marshall values her involvement with the WGNA because it gave her an opportunity to observe how the city operates. A busy person by nature, she looks forward to serving another term as secretary. Besides becoming more knowledgeable on issues, she'll also try to make up for lost time.
"I'm so embarrassed. My job requires me to travel a lot," she says, explaining that past business trips have coincided with WGNA meetings. "For four months, J. Michael was the secretary. I feel I owe so much."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
