Aliso Viejo's Mayor Sends January 2017 Message to Residents

ALISO VIEJO, CA — Aliso Viejo's Mayor Dave Harrington provided a New Year's message to the citizens of his city. A message of hope, accountability and prosperity.

Happy New Year version 2017!

A new year is a lot like a new baseball season, hope springs eternal.We reflect on where we were a year or more ago and look forward to where we want to be in the near future and beyond. As the City celebrates its 16 th year of incorporation, I want to reflect on what we have accomplished over the last couple of years and where I would like to see us at the end of this new year and beyond.

The City of Aliso Viejo has come a long way in the last two years.

We struck a blow for accountability and transparency by televising all council meetings live and making the meetings accessible online for viewing any time. The council created two standing committees with the Aliso Viejo Community Association and Capistrano Unified School District to open the lines of communication between agencies serving the same constituency. The standing committee meetings are a starting point toward better government service for taxpayers as well as being posted and open to the public.

We created a comprehensive plan for the Aliso Viejo Ranch, which will satisfy both historical preservation and the needs of the community with a variety of community-oriented programs.

We recognized our Nation’s ideals by placing “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum” on the entrance to the Council Chambers.

We purchased patrol rifles for every Deputy working our streets, making them and US safer in the process. We changed management companies at the Aliso Center.

For the first time, the Center is NOT costing the City any money, a major change with positive results in a short period.

We recognized the need to help our schools when possible and approved a $40,000 grant for Aliso Niguel High School for a facilities improvement project following the defeat of Measure M. We recognized the need to honor our military service men and women by adopting the 1st Maintenance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps.

What WE did is just better government. We, as is in the City Council, as in the people who make up our City staff, as in the people who make up this City, we did this. No one is an island, whether we agree on every issue or not, the important thing is we move forward toward better government and a better City.

So where do we go from here?

I look forward to 2017 with excitement and anticipation. I want us to break ground on the Ranch and move the project forward to where it has never gone before! The City is working diligently on the planning process for the future of the Town Center (plans are nothing, planning is everything!). Public input is the next step and citizens can visit the City’s website and sign up for updates. I recently toured the new construction of the $100 million MicroVention headquarters site and look forward to the finished product – so far it looks amazing. I want to give a shout out to our Planning Director Omar Dadabhoy and Russ Parker for giving us a product we will all be proud of. The council will continue to work with our partners at AVCA, CUSD, OCSD and OCFA to ensure the highest level of service for our residents. And finally, I look forward to the council working together to make sure we are good fiscal stewards of the public’s money.

The City of Aliso Viejo has been ranked the fifth best place in which to raise a family in the State of California. This ranking puts Aliso number one among cities in Orange County. The residents of this City are THE reason for this ranking and should take pride in the environment they created, maintained and made desirable for others. My family and I love this City, the people in it and I look forward to serving as your Mayor.

~Mayor Dave Harrington