KEVIN PROCIW AND ALONZO COSTILLA
Why should voters elect you to Creswell City Council?
COSTILLA: I would encourage the good citizens of Creswell to vote for me because of my willingness to serve, work ethic and love for this community. These strengths make me a good candidate for this position.
PROCIW: My desire is to represent the concerns of fellow Creswellians as a member of the council. I believe that I have knowledge and experience that can benefit the community. I want to engage with others and work together with the community to solve community issues.
How have you already been volunteering or serving in the city?
COSTILLA: I serve as a deacon in a local church and I have volunteered with our wonderful 4th of July Parade, Emergency Preparedness Fair and Church in the Park. I also served as director of the Say NO to One Gro political action committee to oppose Measure 20-280. I would embrace the opportunity to continue to serve in the community.
PROCIW: Water Rate Advisory Committee (appointed November 2017), Budget Committee (appointed February 2018) and Volunteer for the Emergency Preparedness Fair in July 2018.
If a proposal came to council to build a new piece of public infrastructure in Creswell (road, bridge, etc.) how would you evaluate whether that project was worth implementing?
COSTILLA: Any new large infrastructure project should be a collaborative effort. Input should be collected from professionals, citizens and business owners. Any project that would have a significant impact to the community should be voted on by the community.
PROCIW: There are a lot of variables to navigate when it comes to public infrastructure, but one of the first things I would do would be gain understanding of the proposal, and how it relates to the existing Master Plan. Infrastructure projects have generally already been prioritized so I’d want to ensure that the proposal played well into those existing priorities. City staff should be able to provide recommendations for prioritization and as councilor, I would provide input on that plan in a way that represents the interests of the entire community.
Help us understand the type of leader you will be, by describing your two highest priorities for change in Creswell, in the short term. What about in the long term?
COSTILLA: My short term goal would be to transition into the new city council team and see what we can do about filling the empty council seat. My long term would be to see business growth and infrastructure improvements by the way of an urban renewal plan. However, any new project would need to maintain our small town feel.
PROCIW: Public safety always ranks high in priority and I’d like to take some sort of leadership role in that regard. I hope to begin a community conversation around citizen led involvement for some of our local issues such as drugs, petty theft and other neighborhood crime. Forming a network of neighborhood watch groups along with volunteer crossing guards at the elementary school are some examples of things that we could do. I’m a believer in the ”many hands make light work” principle.
How important is community involvement at city council meetings? Other than official council notices prescribed by law, are there any other ways you will reach out to local residents, to get their opinions, to get them involved?
COSTILLA: Community involvement is essential in city council meetings. There is a great value in the voice of the people, and there is no better way to make it heard than in the council meetings. I encourage all to get involved. Other ways we can reach the residents is talking to neighbors, speaking to people at church, social media and surveys. Most importantly, we need to take time to listen to people. I would also hope to encourage people to get involved by leading by example. That is that what caused me to run for city council. Our current mayor and city council have done a great job leading our community.
PROCIW: It’s important to be engaged and involved to the extent possible. I recognize that it can be challenging for folks who work and have families. I attend council meetings and work sessions along with our local ”Coffee with a Cop” when I can to keep myself connected with the goings on in the community. I would like to do monthly meet and greets, along with making public meetings available live and on-demand (on the internet) as a way to help connect more with fellow citizens.
ALONZO COSTILLA FOR COUNCIL
Age: 51
Date & place of birth: Oct. 2, 1967 Dinuba, Calif.
Marital status: married
Significant Other and occupation: Rebecca Costilla Director of Child Care
Children: Erin 31, Alonzo 25, Evie 4, Ava 3
Residence neighborhood: N. 1st St.
Website, blog, Twitter handle, Facebook page: Personal facebook
Party registration: City Council is a non-partisan position
Education: High school diploma
Occupation(s): Printing trades specialist
▲ Current employer: University of Oregon
▲ Public sector work experience, including military: none
▲ Private sector work experience: 30 years in the printing industry
Elected office held, with dates: none
Previous unsuccessful runs for office, with dates: none
KEVIN PROCIW FOR COUNCIL
Age: 49
Date & place of birth: Feb. 26, 1969 in Bellflower, Calif.
Marital status: Happily Married
Significant Other and occupation: Elizabeth (Lisa) Prociw, Home Manager
Children: two children ages 22 and 20.
Residence neighborhood: South Creswood area.
Website:/Blog: www.forumcreswell.org
Party registration: Non-affiliated
Education: Graduate, Sheldon High School (1987)
one year course study at Lane Community College (Electrical Engineering.)
Occupation(s): Project Manager, Business Owner. Web Design, Marketing, Political Consultation
Current employer: City of Eugene (primary) / Prismatic Media Group (secondary)
Public sector work experience, including military: 16 and a half years for the City of Eugene Information Technology Department doing web design, project management, group facilitation, systems analysis and implementations for COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) software. Previous supervisor at the City of Eugene Print Shop (two and a half years.)
Private sector work experience:
▲ Current Co-owner/operator of Prismatic Media Group, LLC;
▲ Previously employed at Symantec Corporation (1993-1998) as a Senior Support Analyst; and,
▲ Previously employed at Advanstar Communications / Aster Publishing, 1991-1993 (mailroom, then accounting, then advertising coordinator.)
Elected office held, with dates: City of Creswell Budget Committee (appointed February 2018), City of Creswell Water Rate Advisory Committee (appointed).
Previous unsuccessful runs for office, with dates: City of Eugene Mayor, 2012
