PASS ELECTIONS 2012: Banning Mayor Don Robinson is City Council Candidate

The next Banning City Council candidates forum is scheduled Oct. 8 at Sun Lakes.

In the coming days, Banning-Beaumont Patch will devote space to each of the six candidates.

At the first forum Tuesday Oct. 2, Banning Council candidate and current Mayor Don Robinson made closing remarks in Banning Council Chambers:

Robinson: Yeah, I'd like to clarify one point, is each city council member meets with the city manager once a week, so we go over a lot of these issues and it's not just reading eight hundred pages on a Friday afternoon and through the weekend. We have a pretty good idea what's going on in this city, from day one, and we continue those conversations with the administration here, which is our city manager and our staff. They're very good at it.

And with my experience as a veteran, college student, cable television engineer, manager, grant writer, paid call firefighter, executive director and owner of a business here in Banning, I have the ability to start projects and see them through to completion and within budget.

Budgets are very important. It's not a CPA's wave of a wand. It was very hard, we spent some very difficult times, going from eighteen million dollar general fund budget to thirteen million. A lot of us struggled with that. It's a deep concern. You're laying off people. Nobody likes to do that, especially if you're a business owner.

The past four years as a council member here in Banning has given me the opportunity to work together with the rest of the council and continue the progress started to have a viable downtown area that is bringing new businesses and sustaining existing businesses.

We also have growth starting in our residential properties. I want to help guide the prosperous tomorrow through the next four years. My wife Katryn and I are the proud owners and innkeepers of Renaissance Pet Resort. The Renaissance Pet Resort and Spa has created a safe environment and a full line of pet services. This brings over five thousand pets to the city.

And why is that important? Only 23 percent of those pets are from Banning. They're coming from outside the area. All these new businesses that are coming to town are bringing people to town. Along with Fire Memories Museum, which I helped to get here a year ago. Thank you.

The candidates as they appear on Banning sample ballots are Art Welch, Larry L. Tucker, Edward Miller, Don Robinson, Adam Buchanan and Don M. Peterson.

Every registered voter in Banning will be able to vote for three candidates on Nov. 6.

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