Mayor Pro Tem Bob Kellar, with an eye on proactively serving the best interests of the people of Santa Clarita, is defending is seat on the City Council and running for re-election. His supporters recently rallied for him at a lunchtime fundraiser at Spirit Properties, owned by Larry Rasmussen.
Kellar is seeking re-election in the April 2008 race along with others who were on hand for the event, including Planning Commissioner Diane Trautman, Newhall County Water District Board President Maria Gutzeit, former SCV Sheriff’s Captain Bob Spierer and Laurie Ender, Chairman of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission.
“In today’s political scene it’s rare to find someone like Bob who doesn’t do anything self-serving. That’s just who he is and who he has been for all the years I’ve known him,” said Rasmussen.
Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean, other government officials and area citizens were on hand to lend support to Kellar.
“The local issues are what really transcend politics, it doesn’t matter if you’re on the far left or the far right,” said attendee Paul Strickland.
Gutzeit agreed saying that it’s really the local issues that have a direct long-term affect on our day-to-day lives.
Twenty-five years with the Los Angeles Police Department, a Canyon Country/Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce Presidency in the mid-1990s, two years in the United States Army and endless hours serving on local non-profit committees and boards, including the local American Cancer Society, are what make Kellar who he is and what he stands for today.
“I’m thrilled by the turnout today,” said Kellar, “We’re starting our campaign early as a result of the vacated seat left by Cameron Smyth. Besides the significant issues, we need to keep routine matters at the forefront. Public safety and community preservation are key. We need to keep the high standard of living up for all of its residents. I’m really dedicated to that.”
The Cemex mining operation and the contaminated Whittaker-Bermite site are but two of the local issues he has focused on during his term.
He believes there are some very strong candidates for the upcoming council race and is convinced the campaign will heat up in the fall.
There are two seats up for contention in the spring 2008 election. One is Kellar’s and the other is the one vacated by Cameron Smyth upon his election to the State Assembly. Kellar was elected to the council in 2000 and re-elected in 2004.
photos by Ken Capozzi