| Kern County, CA | November 2, 2010 Election |
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Why Run AgainBy Marshall Chip "Chip" HollowayCandidate for Council Member; City of Ridgecrest |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
The verse from Charles Dickens classic "A Tale of Two Cities" most often quoted is "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times". This could easily be used to sum up my last twelve years on council. It has been incredibly humbling and an honor to serve this community, I was thrust reluctantly into this role and I remain eternally grateful to have even been considered to try and move our community forward. As a member of three different council's we have been able to accomplish some great things, I have worked with some incredible professionals at City Hall at all levels, to me some of the least appreciated individuals in this community, it is a rare occasion when anyone takes the time to drive down to City Hall and say to anybody. "You're doing a great job". Your city services have remained in tact and the pain to the public is minimal because of the tremendous sacrifices, combined with pride and work ethic of all our employees. Clearly the strain of the trash issue has affected almost everyone, it has distracted attention from many positive things going on in our community and sadly created a toxic atmosphere at council meetings. Valuable information from all involved is totally dismissed because some have let personality conflicts overrule a respectful exchange of ideas. We all should be on one side and that is the side that offers the best outcome for the residents of Ridgecrest; not playing gotcha and the "my lawyer is bigger than your lawyer" game! Trust must be restored at all levels and acceptance that the previous mistakes may force short term pain in exchange for a long term gain. Dickens famous quote goes on to say "it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness" I think the last twelve years has illustrated we have accomplished some very positive things, for me the BRAC effort stands out, I have been witness to over 10 ground breakings and five ribbon cutting representing over $220 million in new facilities on base. What a win for China Lake, what a win for Ridgecrest and I got to be a small part of a total community effort that made that happen. I developed relationships in that effort that will pay dividends for decades to come. Home Depot, Super Wal Mart, RRH expansion, new General Plan, Ridgecrest Business Park, Project Lead the Way, $25+ million RDA bond, a new solar project,500+ new homes, 1500 job openings (next 5 years), Ridgecrest Blvd improvements to begin shortly, and several other completed major road projects. There were some mistakes , one of our former city managers referred to me as the resident `wild man" I think it was a term of endearment because I am the only true entrepreneur on the council, hence I follow Einstein's mantra "Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance"; I am an information junkie and I am always seeking new ideas and opportunities As a council we have had some failures but I refuse to reel everything in and take such a conservative approach that we short change the full potential of this community. This moment in history more than ever illustrates the need for independence that is why I worked so hard to develop relationships outside of Ridgecrest doing everything possible to leave a positive lasting impression about our community and our enormous assets. |
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 29, 2010 07:22
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