DON’T FORGET TO SPRING FORWARD!


Daylight Savings Time Starts on Sunday, March 11th

SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012

VOLUME 6 NO. 10

SIERRA MADRE ELECTION 
COVERAGE 

 On April 10, 2012, voters in Sierra Madre will go to the 
polls and select three people from a field of seven to sit 
on the City Council and elect a new City Treasurer and 
City Clerk. They will also vote on a local ballot measure 
on whether or not to extend the User Utility Tax and a 
related advisory measure.

 The city council race will fill two seats for new four year terms and one seat for the 
unexpired two year term vacated by former Mayor Joe Mosca.

 The Mountain Views News will provide our readers with comprehensive coverage of 
this election. Each week, as we have done in the past, we will profile the candidates and 
give each of the candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves to our readers by 
answering the following questions: (All candidates are being asked to answer the same 
questions)

1. Why are you running for Office? 

2. What are your plans if elected?

 

The revised schedule:

 

THIS WEEK: Candidate John Harabedian for City Council - 4 year term-Below 

March 17th Candidate Colin Braudrick for City Council - 

 2 year term Website: www.colin4cc.com

March 24th Candidate Chris Koerber for City Council - 2 year term

 Website: www.chrisforsierramadre.com

 Camdidate Bill Tice for City Council - 4 year term

 No website available at this time.

 It is our sincere hope that each candidate will submit their answers so that we can share 
them with our readers. A separate letter has been sent to each candidate asking them to 
participate.

 In addition to the candidate spotlights, we will attempt to cover the various forums 
sponsored by local organizations. Where possible, the unedited video of these forums will 
be broadcast on the paper’s website.

 Our reporting on this election will be as fair and objective as possible. However, please 
keep in mind that our columnists are always free to share their opinions. Their opinions 
are their opinions and may or may not reflect the position of the paper. This is true in all 
things, not just this election.

 We will also provide for you the calendar of important dates regarding the election. It is 
our goal to do whatever we can to help you make an informed decision on April 10, 2012. 

Susan Henderson, Publisher and Editor 

NAN & JERRY CARLTON

SIERRA MADRE’S OLDER AMERICANS 
OF THE YEAR Photo and story by Bill Coburn


The City of Sierra Madre Community & Personnel 
Services Department and the Senior Community 
Commission is happy to announce that Jerry 
and Nan Carlton have been selected as the Older 
Americans of the Year for Sierra Madre 2012. Jerry 
and Nan are longtime residents, active members of 
the Sierra Madre Friends of the Library, Mt. Wilson 
Trail Race and Wine & Jazz Walk volunteers, past 
Sierra Madre Athletic Association Board members, 
strong supporters of the Sierra Madre Civic Club & 
Senior Lunch Program and much, much more.

 These two Sierra Madre residents really live up the 
the Sierra Madre mantra — Volunteering is Cool. 
And their work goes back to 1967 when Nan and 
two long-gone residents set the stage for the beginning 
of Girls’ Softball. The same three women 
harassed the City Council into naming the plot of 
donated land in northeast Sierra Madre after Hal 
Dapper, a recently deceased (at that time) volunteer 
of the Athletic Association.

 Jerry designed the present diner at that field. He 
was chairman of that association and president of 
Pony/Colt where he managed The Reds in the latter. 
Jerry was a member of the Parks ad Recreation 
Commission and was chairman of the Trail Race 
then. In the ’70s he was Girls’ Softball coach and 
manager. He and another local man ran the Christmas 
tree lot for 10 years in the ’80s, with money 
going to town athletes.

 Then in 2007, Jerry walked the whole town of Sierra 
Madre, checking all 469 fire hydrants in the City. 
Why was that necessary? “We need to know (for 
the Fire Department) if they are painted properly, 
if they’re accessible, are capped, and if the blue dots 
on the streets, indicating their presence, are there,” 
Jerry explained. The task took him all summer and 
the City Council commended him for the job.

 Jerry recycles clear plastic bottles and aluminum 
for the Civic Club and he volunteers at the library 
book sales. He also substitutes for Meals-on-
Wheels and works on the Wine Tasting Committee.

 In the ’60s Nan took third graders from local 
schools to Bailey Canyon on nature hikes, usually 
going to the waterfall and back. She and friends in 
’67 started Summer Little League and “that was the 
beginning of Girls’ Softball,” she explained. Nan is 
past president of Civic Club and has been a long-
time worker for that club. She participated on all of 
the Relays for Life held in Sierra Madre.

 “About four or five years ago” Nan started a knitting 
club. “We meet at Bean Town two times a 
week, and welcome others who want to knit.” She 
also worked on the Rose Float for at least 12 years, 
helping youth volunteers.

 Both she and Jerry participated in the PTAs for 
both Sierra Madre School and Wilson, and taught 
Sunday School for many years.

 Their beginnings? When she was a child, Nan and 
her mother came by train to Sierra Madre to be 
with Nan’s grandmother, Florence Eakman, who 
was a well-known poet and children’s book author. 
Nan has lived here ever since.

 After Jerry left the Navy, he and Nan met and were 
married in 1953. Their son, Steve, is a hydro/geologist 
and has a son and daughter, Wyn and Liz. 
Daughter Suzi’s son is Mike. Sierra Madre lost 
Sheri Carlton Burnett in 2001, and she left another 
Carlton granddaughter, Amanda.

 Nan is past president of Civic Club and has been 
a long-time worker for that club. Nan was a Team 
Captain for the Relay for Life for several years. I am 
sure there is not anything that they have not been 
instrumental in helping organize here in our Town. 
About six or seven years ago, Nan started a knitting 
club to help raise money for cancer research. She 
also worked on the Rose Float for at least 12 years, 
helping youth volunteers. Both she and Jerry participated 
in the PTAs for both Sierra Madre School 
and Wilson, and taught Sunday School for many 
years. It is time that this wonderful couple be recognized 
for there outstanding commitment to our 
City.

 Nan is recuperating after having had surgery on 
Nov. 20 last year, and is slowly getting back to activities. 
“I have to wait until March to resume going 
to Curves,” Nan remarked.

 Why do these two volunteer? Nan answered, “I 
was a Campfire Girl and that’s where you learn to 
volunteer. You’re supposed to give back.”

 

Each year the President of the United States, the 
Governor of California and the Los Angeles County 
Board of Supervisors designate the month of 
May as Older American Month. In recognition of 
Jerry and Nan Carlton’s dedicated volunteer service 
to the community, Sierra Madre will be honoring 
them with a local reception held at the Hart 
Park House Senior Center on Friday, May 11, 2012 
from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Previous Honorees include: Pat Alcorn, Fran Garbaccio, 
Ken Anhalt, Eph Konigsberg, Russ Anderson, 
George Throop, Loyal Camacho, John Grijalva, 
Joylouise Harte-Smith, James Heasley, Midge 
Morash, James Tyler, Isbella Paegal, Bonnie Garner, 
Rose Fafach, Ed Wellman, Celeste McCleary, 
Dorothy Tillquist, Doris Webster, Elsie Dannmayer, 
George Mauer & Karl Teigler.

 

For more information on the Older American Reception or 
on how you can assist with honoring Jerry and Nan Carlton, 
please contact the Susan Clifton, Recreation Coordinator 
at (626) 355-7394.


CANDIDATE JOHN HARABEDIAN

The time has come 
for a new generation 
of leadership in 
Sierra Madre. Now 
more than ever, Sierra 
Madre is in need of 
intelligent, hardworking 
leaders who will 
bring an innovative 
approach to the City’s 
problems while leaving 
personal agendas 
aside. As a lifelong 
resident, attorney, and 
former local government 
policy analyst, I am that type of leader, 
with the vision, knowledge, and skillset to get 
the job done. 

The issue, above all else, in this election is leadership. 
It is not about the UUT extension or 
the Kensington Project, as a few vocal residents 
would like you to believe. It’s much more systemic 
and bigger than that. Voters must decide 
which candidate has the ability to articulate the 
larger challenges facing Sierra Madre and, more 
importantly, which candidate can provide tangible 
solutions going forward for the next four 
years. Sierra Madre has many short-term and 
long-term problems, but two primary obstacles 
must be addressed immediately.

First, Sierra Madre has become an unsustainable 
village, with our annual revenues no longer 
satisfying our annual expenses. This is precisely 
why the City relies so heavily on the UUT 
to fund vital services, such as police, fire, and 
paramedics, and why the UUT extension on the 
April 10 ballot must be passed if we wish to preserve 
Sierra Madre as we know it. This extension 
is a short-term fix, however, as our budget 
requires an overhaul. Second, we have a community 
that has grown politically disengaged. A 
town that has always thrived on volunteerism, 
Sierra Madre finds itself at a time when plenty of 
residents who are willing to help feel underutilized. 
There are simple ways we can solve both 
of these problems. 

As a councilmember, I will establish a citizen-
run Economic Sustainability Committee, which 
will work to (1) identify additional sources of 
revenue for the City, (2) implement the City’s 
recent Market Demand Study to attract village-
friendly businesses to empty storefronts in 
downtown, and (3) streamline the City’s budget, 
i.e., prioritize how and where we spend our 
money. Calling on our informed residents to 
help Sierra Madre through these tough economic 
times is necessary, efficient, and cost-effective. 

The desired goal will be for Sierra Madre four 
years from now to continue to be a full-service 
city, while adding to our reserves instead of depleting 
them as we are now. One simple fix will 
be to allow residents to pay all their City bills 
online, a convenient solution that will save the 
City personnel costs from not having to physically 
process each bill. Why hasn’t this been 
done before? I will also establish a Public Safety 
Commission, which will be run by knowledgeable 
volunteers and will work with our Police 
and Fire Departments and paramedics to ensure 
that Sierra Madre retains its high level of public 
safety at a fair price. Considering the importance 
of public safety to this community and the 
amount of money we invest in it every year, why 
hasn’t this been done before? 

 I don’t have all the answers, but we can 
work as a community to find them. This will 
happen only if we have leaders who will listen 
to all residents and focus on problem-solving 
rather than political gamesmanship. I promise 
to be that leader. 

www.johnharabedian.com


This Week’s Highlights:

17

SPORTS

Harvey Hyde Says:

COACHES SHOULD BE 
TEACHERS TOO.

AROUND SAN GABRIEL

5

14

WORLD

Looking Up by Bob Eklund

Earth Rediscoverd....

Online with Paul 

PASADENA/ALTADENA

4

Joan Clayton ....What Will You Be 
Doing?

Cal Fire has a message for you.....

NFL Use of the Rose 
Bowl to be Voted On


Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.com