Page 6 - The Friday Flyer • August 19, 2016

A-6 THE FRIDAY FLYER AUGUST 19, 2016 Five candidates seek election to City Council
BY SHARON RICE
EDITOR, THE FRIDAY FLYER
It was announced Wednesday, August 17, that five candidates submitted their paperwork and qualified to run for City Council in the November election. They are Jordan Ehrenkranz, Larry Greene, Randall P. Bonner, George Middle and David Eilers. Jordan is the only incum- bent on the list. Three seats are up for election. Of the other candidates, the only one who hasn’t previously served on City Council or the CLPOA Board of Directors is Larry Greene.
As citizens consider those who are running for City Council, questions may come to mind. Will this new Council be the one to see a breakthrough in Public Safety funding; or is it possible they will see bankruptcy and/or disincorporation
of the City, with possible annexation to a neighboring city?
To be clear, the City Council is not considering either option at this time; just seeking information. George Spili- otis, executive officer for the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAF- CO), gave an informational presentation to City Council on the subject of disin- corporation several weeks ago.
With such an important subject on the table, citizens may want to take a closer look at this year’s Council candi- dates and find out where they stand on the subject of disincorporation. Do they believe it’s an option the City should strongly consider, or an option the City should strongly avoid until there are no other options available? What do they see as the advantages and/or disadvan-
tages of disincorporation?
Other questions to ask? The consult-
ing company, ESCI, recommended that, before the City chooses any option for fire services, elected officials and staff need to establish strategies to address and secure long-term financial resourc- es. How important is the current Utility User Tax (UUT) to Canyon Lake’s abil- ity to pay for public safety now and in the future?
If the candidate deems continuance of the UUT necessary, how confident are they that voters will approve it or simi- lar tax when the current UUT sunsets in 2020? Under what conditions (e.g. open- ing Station 60) do they believe citizens would approve a new tax?
Due to the so-far prohibitive costs of staying with CalFire/Riverside County
Fire in the future, the City Council has been looking into a Joint Powers Au- thority with neighboring cities for fire and police protection. With uncertainty about voter approval of such a tax, how strong is Canyon Lake’s position in ne- gotiating a JPA with neighboring cities for fire and police protection?
What about the potential of develop- ing BLM land within the City’s sphere of influence in order to bring in more property taxes? And what if the City dis- incorporates and no longer has a sphere of influence over the BLM properties adjacent to Canyon Lake’s northern boundaries?
Bottom Line: citizens will want to attend upcoming candidate forums to see if Council candidates are doing their homework.
Norman Xiong to be in Junior Ryder Cup . . .
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of the Junior PGA Championship. The 12 junior golfers representing seven states will face their European counter- parts in the 10th Junior Ryder Cup, Sep- tember 26 and 27, at Interlachen Coun- try Club in Edina, Minnesota.
Participants in the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup also will play a nine-hole “Friend- ship Match” on September 28 at Hazel- tine National Golf Club in Chaska, Min- nesota, and be announced live to a global audience during the 41st Ryder Cup Opening Ceremonies on September 29.
Norman will be a senior this year at Temescal Canyon High School; however, the Titan Golf Team will not have the advantage of his participa- tion, since he intends to graduate early, skip his senior high school season in the spring and enroll early at the Uni- versity of Oregon.
Among other accomplishments this year, Norman was one of 54 par- ticipants to compete in the 2016 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in South Carolina in April. That event featured the largest international field in its history, with competitors from 13 countries.
Norman, who started playing golf at the age of 4 at the U.S. Naval Base in Guam, moved to the United States in 2005, at age 6, to further expand his op- portunities in the game of golf. Initially moving to the San Diego area, he and his family relocated to Canyon Lake in 2009, when Norman was just 10 years old, to further expand his golfing oppor- tunities. In Canyon Lake, he trained with Richard Messer.
A year ago, the long-driving Titan won the prestigious Homer Thomas Classic in April, the Sunbelt League’s individual title in early May, the CIF- SCGA Southern California Regional
Championship in late May, and tied for 4th place in the CIF-State Champion- ship in June.
Of this rising star, Canyon Lake Golf Pro Pat Kemball says, “Norman played here in Canyon Lake when he was younger but he outgrew our course and moved to Bear Creek. He’s such a nice young man and very well mannered.”
To Pat’s knowledge, a victory cel- ebration isn’t planned in Canyon Lake; however, there is no doubt the golfing community at large is proud to have an association with Norman and other ju- nior golf standouts like Hunter Newlin and Baylee Barkley.
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