I sent an email to Hank Wedaa asking why residents should vote for him, here is his response.
Let’s talk about the City of Yorba Linda. Since incorporation in 1967, we have grown to a population of 65,000 residents, with an annual citywide budget of about $83,000,000 including an operating budget of about $30,000,000. We are in essence, a large corporation with more than 65,000 stockholders. Like corporations, we have a President and a Board of Directors, with the role of the President played by the City Manager, and the Council members acting as the company Directors.
I believe Yorba Linda is at a crossroads. We can grow our city and therefore the value of your investment in Yorba Linda, or we can continue to stumble around and hope to make progress. Many have asked whether our Interim City Manger is as good as he appears to be. I believe he is but he is not available long-term.
The City of Yorba Linda has an outstanding staff with some unusually competent people. However, in recent years we have lost some very significant people because of the unsettled nature of our City administration. I also believe that the council members who are making judgments about the various staff recommendations should have some level of related experience. I, for example, have 30 years of City Council experience and Councilman Winder has had 8 years of City Council experience plus the many years he spent as a police office in Yorba Linda. The two latest additions, Horton and Anderson had little to no knowledge of how City governments work. They are learning quickly, but it will take them a long time to fully come up to speed. And with a City Manager and Development Director to hire, we don’t need another neophyte.
The future of your investment in Yorba Linda is dependent on who you elect to the City Council, and how well they can implement programs designed to make Yorba Linda a better place t live while at the same time increasing the value of your investment. Elections should not be based on popularity contests, who has the most signs, the most well known in local sports, etc.., rather they should be based on the qualifications of the individuals running for the seat. I have examined all of the candidates qualifications and besides Jim Winder and myself, I found only one person that meets those rigorous qualifications. And the person is Mark Abramowitz.
Hank Wedaa
www.hank4yl.com
