Don’t Dare Ignore Me!

Nobody likes to be ignored and next Tuesday, April 7 we as a community here in the Crescenta Valley will have the opportunity to make sure that we are not ignored, that our voices are heard. On Tuesday we all will have the opportunity to cast our ballots to fill the seats on the Glendale Unified School District board of education and the Glendale Community College board of trustees. Those of us who live in the Glendale portion of the Crescenta Valley, which includes Montrose, Sparr Heights and North Glendale west of Pennsylvania Avenue, will also have the opportunity to vote on four ballot measures and two seats on the Glendale City Council.

Do you know that there is an opinion by many that residents in the Crescenta Valley are lazy voters, that we don’t often exercise this privilege? How disheartening to learn when one considers how important it is for us to have a voice in the decisions that can ultimately impact where our dollars are spent. Those of us homeowners up here have a portion of our property taxes dedicated to supporting our schools. How silly is it then for us not to vote for those people who will ultimately decide how and where those dollars are spent? And how many of us don’t know a student at Glendale Community College or perhaps was a student himself? I attended GCC for a short  time as did my husband Steve. We both are grateful for the level of education that was available to us not far from where we lived.

This year we are also fortunate that there are candidates of merit on the ballot. Candidates for the board of education, the board of trustees and the city council have invested their time and money to alert you to those areas where they feel they can have the most positive impact. In last week’s issue of the Crescenta Valley Weekly, we posed three questions to the Glendale City Council candidates about concerns of particular interest here in the Crescenta Valley. In this week the Glendale Unified School District board of education candidates answered similar questions. I have no doubt that the answers that we received were well thought out by the candidates and I encourage you to take the time to read their recent responses. Also on page 6 you’ll find the statements from the Glendale Community College board of trustees candidates that are posted on glendalevotes.org. Glendalevotes.org is an excellent resource for voters to learn more about the candidates vying for our vote.

When you think about it, it takes very little time to exercise this right, a privilege that has been defended through many wars. Find out where your polling place is and plan to take a few extra minutes on Tuesday to make a difference in your community. Don’t be thought of as a lazy resident. Vote.

I’ll be looking for you at the ballot box.

  robin goldsworthy