As a two-term mayor and 10-year councilmember of the city of Santa Clarita, I believe I am in a good position to know what it takes to be a successful council member. One has to be very active in most aspects of our community. One has to ask lots of questions and in return be a good listener. One has to have a proven track record of working with others collaborating to create consensus. Nothing gets done with one person. It takes a minimum of three votes on the council to get anything done. That means having a good working relationship with council members. It means working with city staff, especially the city manager, to get anything done.
Gloria Mercado-Fortine touches all those buttons and more. She served 16 years as an elected official on the William S. Hart Union High School District. She, with other members of the school board, collaborated and showed proven leadership, to bring the district four new badly needed high schools: Valencia, West Ranch, Golden Valley and Castaic high schools. For those efforts and for her work as the head of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Foundation and a number of nonprofit organizations, Gloria was chosen as Santa Clarita’s 2018 Woman of the Year. I very strongly endorse Gloria to replace me on the City Council this November. Proven leadership counts.
Bill Miranda
Santa Clarita
