After retiring from nearly 50 years of service, my wife, Denise, and I were driving cross-country to visit our daughter and her family when we passed through Tehachapi. After days and days in the deserts of the Southwest, we were enchanted by the lush green hills in April. A few inquiries of real estate agents lead us to Bear Valley Springs where we fell in love with the area. We promptly sold our home in Georgia and moved here.

We immediately joined several clubs and organizations, quickly gaining wonderful new friends. While the mountains, climate, and wildlife are spectacular, it is the people who make this such a special place.

After a while, we noticed there were problems with the infrastructure, discord on the CSD board, and near disfunction within the CSD. Residents were sharply divided over services issues. Because I had served for many years on boards and committees, working to bring together people with different points of view, I knew I could provide leadership, a comprehensive vision, and help realize much needed improvements. I was strongly considering running for a director seat when a vacancy appeared, so I applied. The board voted to appoint me over six other applicants.

I am very pleased to be able to serve my community in such an important and meaningful way. In only a few months on the board I have had a positive effect, but there is much to be done. I would quite like to continue serving the residents, working to preserve the greatness we have, restore what we have lost, and provide for a lasting future.