Thank you for visiting my website!  Please let me introduce myself.  I am Fred Hawthorne, a 13 year resident of the City of Whittier and a Whittier City Council candidate in the next city council election coming up on April 13th, 2010.

I was born in New York City and raised by a single mother. In 1985 my family and I moved to California .  After graduating from Venice High School in 1995, I attended  California Baptist University in Riverside and went on to receive my Bachelors Degree in History from Whittier College in 2000.  I used my degree to become an educator and motivator for the more challenging high school special education students enrolled in a Continuation high school where I received several prestigious awards for my efforts.  As a teacher for 7 years, author,  marathon runner and a personal trainer, I bring a whole new level of energy to leading our city.

While attending Whittier College, I saw how Whittier offered its residents the small town charm of historic tree-lined neighborhoods combined with a vibrant business community where we could all buy what we needed locally.  I decided to make this unique community Whittier my permanent home.  

But all is not well.  Our local economy is in a recession. Most of the tax base of our city is vanishing.  People are losing their jobs and then their homes resulting in financial shock waves that are reverberating through our city.

Even though we have hard-working city employees combating the problem, we are still being visually assaulted with graffiti everywhere we look.  Something needs to be done and we instinctively know that “The buck stops here” with our present city council.

At a time when we see some of our children getting into anti-social things, it is imperative that we find a way to once again fund the excellent Whittier Youth Network afterschool program.  Also, I would like to work on a public/private partnership to bring back a “Homework Club” afterschool program.

We need leaders who will energetically support the intellectual community here in this two-college town.  The way I see it, a first-class bookstore and a modern library are basic necessities.  I have the energy to aggressively pursue these goals.
 
The policies of the past will not work in these difficult times.  To say that, “Well, we tried that in 1994 and it didn’t work” is simply unacceptable.  Tough times demand that tough decisions need to get made.  Our present problems demand that our leaders look at things with a fresh perspective, with your help, I can bring that to the job. 

My goal as your Councilman will be to be an accessible, responsive, ethical “Man of the people”, not a bully or big shot.  You deserve responsive governance and a listening ear with all of your concerns.  I pledge to answer all of your emails or phone calls within 24 hours and do my best to attend every community event that I can.

It is time for “We the people” of Whittier to be in charge once again.

Please vote for me for Whittier City Council on April 13th, 2010.

         

Respectfully yours,
Fred Hawthorne, City Council Candidate