As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude to this great nation and to those whose sacrifices have ensured our freedoms, including the right to vote and choose our representatives.  I also want to express my gratitude to those who joined me in my campaign for Irvine City Council.  I am blessed to have you as my friends and to have worked with you for a better future for our City.  I know that you will join me in congratulating the victors and in wishing the very best for our Mayor and City Council in their new terms of office.

This was an extremely close and hard-fought election and many harsh things were said by both sides.  For my part, I promise to put aside the caustic rhetoric of the past and to work together with all persons of good will for a better Irvine.

In particular, I will work to help our Mayor and City Council achieve their own campaign promises: to defend our master plan and preserve the character of our communities, including preservation of the Woodbridge Village Center; to take effective steps to alleviate traffic congestion and school over-crowding;  to ensure that future growth is supported by careful planning and adequate infrastructure; to build a Veterans Cemetery and Memorial in the Great Park; to make sure that the promise of the Great Park is fulfilled for all of the residents of Irvine and Orange County; to preserve Irvine’s public safety record by providing our Police Department with the best personnel, training, and equipment; to support the continued success of the Irvine Barclay Theatre; and to embrace and celebrate our growing cultural diversity.

Thank You, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Melissa