By Mary O’KEEFE

If there is one thing Americans can take away from this most recent election is that every vote counts. This is especially true with local elections like the upcoming La Crescenta election when voters will be asked to decide on their Crescenta Valley Town Council representatives.

The election is held on Friday, Nov. 18 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Sadler Hall at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church located at 2563 Foothill Blvd. There is a parking lot accessible from Cross Street, one street north of Foothill Boulevard, just east of Rosemont Avenue.

The CVTC is an elected body that acts as an advisory committee to Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors 5th District. It is a direct link to the supervisor’s office and in the past has been a powerful force in relating concerns and the opinions of local residents. Some of the issues it has worked on with the supervisor’s office are the installation of a four-way stop sign at Briggs and Mountain avenues making it safer for students walking to Mountain Avenue elementary, spearheading the new La Crescenta Library project resulting in the new library at La Crescenta Avenue and Foothill Boulevard, organizing the Hometown Heroes banners and undergrounding overhead utility wires. It has worked to make CV safer with projects like the lighted crosswalk at Foothill and Glenoaks boulevards and the right and left turning signals at La Crescenta Elementary School among other projects.

The CVTC holds a meeting the third Thursday of each month in the community room at the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd. and, although the CVTC works within the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County/La Crescenta/Montrose, most people in the area realize what affects La Crescenta affects those living in the far north portions of Glendale and Montrose. Residents from the entire Crescenta Valley are generally interested in the projects that community members bring to the CVTC.

This year there are eight people running for six seats on the council. Three are for regular seats; three others are for alternates. The top three candidates who receive the most votes will serve as regular councilmembers and will each serve a three-year term. The next three top vote getters will be in the alternate positions that are one-year terms. Voters can cast ballots for three candidates.

The candidates this year are Harry Leon, Charles Beatty, Aram Ordubegian, Kyle Studebaker, JoAnn Stupakis, Kerri Lewin, Brandon Lee and Joshua Wade.

Leon, Beatty, Ordubegian and Stupakis are presently serving on the CVTC and Studebaker had been on the council in the recent past.

Only registered voters living in the unincorporated area of L.A. County in La Crescenta or Montrose can vote in the CVTC election. Those living in the far north Glendale area are not eligible to vote.

There are many issues facing Crescenta Valley including Foothill Boulevard medians and the impact of the Foothill (210) Freeway construction, which the CVTC will have to deal with in the upcoming year. They will also be, for the first time in over three decades, working with a new elected supervisor. Kathryn Barger was elected to fill the seat of her former boss, Michael Antonovich, on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Antonovich was termed out.

Again one vote can make a difference in this election.

“Every single vote counts,” said current CVTC President Leslie Dickson (her term is not up this election cycle). “We had about 300 people vote last time around and it came down to two or three votes that separated someone from regular to alternate seats.”

Dickson said this election is especially important because it will be the first Council that will be working directly with Barger.

A forum introducing the candidates is tonight at 7 p.m. at the monthly CVTC meeting. For more information on the candidates go to thecvcouncil.com.

The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot has passed (Nov. 12). For questions on absentee ballots and/or the election, contact Councilmember and Election Committee Chair Mike Claessens at mike@theCVcouncil.com.

  Mary Okeefe