Foothills Sentry - October 2024

Foothills Sentry Page 6 OCTOBER 2024 Yan Killy Candidates for Villa Park City Council Robert Frackleton Kelly McBride Lawrence Talebi I grew up in Villa Park, attend- ing VP Elementary, Cerro Villa and VPHigh, graduating in 1987. Twenty-two years ago, my wife and I moved back to raise our three children here. My wish is to serve on our City Council to maintain this unique little slice of America for residents new and old, and generations to come. Short-sighted mandates from the State of California encouraging high-density housing, certain group homes and other intru- sions must be resisted. Public safety must be pre- served. Updating our aging in- frastructure must be prioritized. Financial responsibility is what our tax paying residents de- serve. My commitment to you is to preserve and further Villa Park’s standing as our “Hidden Jewel.” I am president and ma- jority owner of a metal fabrica- tion business with 82 employees. I am also Past President of VP Rotary and sit on the VP Foundation Board of Directors. Additionally, I coordinate the Villa Park Marines Thanksgiv- ing event, served eight years as a Reserve Volunteer Firefighter at our Station 23, and volun- teered at our schools and with our youth sports. I humbly ask for your vote. I am a proud naturalized Amer- ican citizen who arrived as a refu- gee in 1977 from Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. As the oldest of two siblings, I began working at an auto body shop on my second day in the U.S., while attending night school to learn English. After completing college, I started my career as a drafts- man, and later transitioned to a designer. Today, I work as a Sr. Technical Marketing Engineer at one of the world's leading CAD companies. My journey began in Cleve- land, Ohio, where my family first settled. Later, I moved to Califor- nia when it was still known as the Golden State. I’m blessed with a loving fam- ily—my wife, Diana, our two daughters, and one grandson. As a Councilman, I am dedi- cated to preserving Villa Park's quality of life, ensuring safety, protecting property rights, and maintaining fiscal responsibility. I will treat Villa Park's money as if it were my own. Villa Park is truly the “Hidden Jewel,” and I believe that we need good people with common sense to serve on the City Council to keep our community financially strong, sensible and safe. I have worked hard over my career traveling around our na- tion and internationally to repair the world’s largest buildings, and have earned the privilege to own a home in a community that ex- emplifies the best of American values: hard work, good neigh- bors, and strong social bonds. I believe that if the good people don’t step forward and continue the tradition of financial respon- sibility and pragmatic civic man- agement, our community will be hamstrung by needless expendi- tures and distractions from our shared values. I humbly ask for your vote as one of the “good guys”, active in the community, devoted Rotarian who believes in common sense solutions that enhance the foun- dations of our community; sup- porting property values by keep- ing our neighborhoods safe and maintained, encouraging com- munity spirit by supporting fam- ily traditions, and keeping an eye on the horizon to ensure state and federal legislation doesn’t impact our way of life. I am your conservative choice for Villa Park City Council. I want to continue the successful efforts of my predecessors and participate in protecting Villa Park. My leadership qualities including integrity, accountabil- ity, vision, and transparency will enable me to uphold Villa Park’s tradition of maintaining a bal- anced budget, outstanding public safety, and a strong community. I am committed to maintain- ing our infrastructure, includ- ing roads, sanitation, and storm drains. I hope to work with OUSD on our high traffic areas and sup- port the current conditionally ap- proved housing element submit- ted by previous Councils. I believe in protecting our qual- ity of life as residents of Villa Park. Therefore, I will advocate for the development and imple- mentation of new ideas to keep group homes like sober living facilities out of our residential zones while advocating for small government. These community members need help and support that is better provided outside of our residential areas by trained and licensed professionals. I would be humbled and hon- ored to have your vote so we can continue to preserve the unique- ness of Villa Park. OC FamilySearch Center celebrates the family The community is invited to the third annual Dia de los Muer- tos Celebration of the Family on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 4 - 8 p.m. at the Orange County FamilySe- arch Center at the Church of Je- sus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 675 S. Yorba. Enjoy Mexican cultural activi- ties honoring the dead with mu- sic, dancing and calaveras (skele- ton face painting). Entertainment will be provided by the acclaimed Brigham Young University folk- loric dance ensemble. Authentic Mexican food will be available to purchase. Tour the Orange Coun- ty FamilySearch Center to learn how to find and honor your own ancestors with free online access to one of the largest historical ge- nealogical databases. If you would like to share your artistic talents to create chalk paintings, exhibit your family photos and keepsakes in altares (altar displays), or learn more about the event, contact nielsen- kathie@gmail.com . Folklorico dancers