LIVING TRU by Lori Koop

The Right Brain Business Coach

Page 14

 


SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2013

VOLUME 7 NO. 17


Photo and Story by Susan Henderson

Following the long standing tradition of rotating council 
members through the positions of Mayor Pro Tem and 
Mayor, Nancy Walsh was unanimously elected Mayor of 
the City of Sierra Madre. In the town’s history, she is only 
the fourth female to hold such a position,three of which 
held the position within the last decade. (Enid Joffe, Mary 
Ann MacGillivray - who actually was elected Mayor twice, 
and now Mayor Walsh). 

Walsh was first elected to the council in 2010 and has been 
a very active member holding such positions as Board 
Member of San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments 
aka. SGVCOG, Member of the Energy, Environment and 
Natural Resources Committee (of SGVCOG), Council 
Liaison to Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce, Council 
Liaison to the Senior Community Services Commission, 
Council Liaison to Sierra Madre Library Board, Council 
Liaison to the Green Advisory Committee, and Alternate 
Director to the Board of Directors of the County Sanitation 
Districts of Los Angeles County. In an interview 
held with Walsh in 2012, she noted that “serving the citizens 
of Sierra Madre requires ones undivided attention. 
It is no easy task, and also requires great sacrifice”. Prior 
to serving on the council, Walsh served as Chair of the 
city’s Senior Community Commission.

An outspoken critic of the “protracted” General Plan 
process, she is not known for biting her tongue when it 
comes to facing the challenges of sitting on the council. 
The former CEO of LA County Coastal Outpatient Clinics, 
she has two daughters Jennifer & Melissa, two-son’s in 
law and three granddaughters.

Many Sierra Madreans will remember her also for surviving 
the hostage situation in Mumbai in 2008 while vacationing. 
An avid world traveler, she has set her suitcases 
aside to take on the challenges of serving Sierra Madre as 
a member of the City Council, and now as Mayor.

COUNCIL REORGANIZES - NANCY WALSH 
BECOMES MAYOR

Sierra Madre’s reorganized council: (l to r) John Capoccia, Mayor Pro Tem 
John Harabedian, Mayor Nancy Walsh, Chris Koerber and Josh Moran 

Inside this week: 

JOHN HARABEDIAN ELECTED MAYOR PRO TEM DESPITE EFFORT TO 

CIRCUMVENT THE PROCESS

SIERRA MADRE

 One of the last acts by outgoing Mayor 
Josh Moran was to set into motion the 
parameters for the council’s reorganization. 
He reminded the public that 
traditions established for the betterment 
of the community were important. 
He also reminded those who may 
have forgotten of the great divide that 
was created when those traditions were 
not followed in 2008 and 2009. During 
those years, the council twice overlooked 
then Councilman Joe Mosca 
as Mayor Pro Tem and Mayor. What 
followed were years of division in the 
community. It ultimately is said to 
have cost Mary Ann MacGillivray her 
re-election.

 Moran also shared a letter he had received 
with some of the same admonitions. 
The resident went on to ask that 
the position of Mayor Pro Tem be given 
to the person who received the most 
votes in the last election, Chris Koerber. 
To that, Moran objected. He explained 
the procedure which allows for 
each council member to serve as Mayor 
Pro Tem and Mayor, and that it is based 
on Seniority not votes. He noted that, 
contrary to the writers statement, Koerber 
had not been the highest vote 
getter, noting that Koerber’s race was 
a special election, not the regular election. 
Much discussion followed with 
Councilmen John Capoccia and Koerber 
disputing Moran’s statements. 

 When the matter was finally called for 
a vote, a motion was made by Moran 
and seconded by Walsh that John Harabedian 
be elected Mayor Pro Tem. At 
that point Capoccia offered a second 
motion and nominated Chris Koerber 
for the position. Koerber seconded his 
own nomination.

 Harabedian expressed his disappointment 
that “what should have been the 
council’s finest hour” had become so 
contentious.

 “The issue is not very complicated. 
Councilman Koerber is not eligible to 
become Mayor Pro Tem because he is 
filling the vacancy of councilman Joe 
Mosca who already served as Mayor 
for this term. We have a tradition in Sierra 
Madre that a councilmember can 
only become Mayor and Mayor Pro 
Tem once in a term. I cannot sit idly by 
while others attempt to undermine and 
game that system for personal gain.”

 After several testy exchanges between 
Koerber and Harabedian, a vote was 
taken on the second motion. It was defeated 
3 to 2.

 When the original motion was called 
(Harabedian for Mayor Pro Tem) it 
passed 4 to 1, with the only no vote 
coming from Koerber.

 S. Henderson/MV News

Calendar Page 2

Sierra Madre News Page 3/4

Sierra Madre Historical Preservation 
Society Showcases The 
Caldwell/Fairbank House

PASADENA/ALTADENA

Pg. 5

Armenian Genocide Memorial

AROUND SG Valley Pg. 6

Christopher Nyerges On What 
Every Hiker Should Take With 
Them

A LOOK BACK FIVE YEARS AFTER THE SIERRA MADRE 
FIRE OF 2008 – ARE WE READY IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN?

Bob Eklund’s Looking Up

ARCADIA NEWS Pg. 7

Photos and Story By Bill Coburn, Sierra Madre News.Net

Saturday, April 26th, 2008, started out like many other spring days in Sierra 
Madre. Blue skies, a high of 80 degrees expected, and multiple community 
activities scheduled. The City was going to hold dedication ceremonies for its 
first new park in thirty years, Goldberg Park in honor of long-time residents 
Milton and Harriet Goldberg that morning. Later in the day, at Memorial Park, 
the now defunct Community Arts Commission was going to hold a Jazz Festival 
featuring live music. Little did folks who planned to attend both events realize as 
they left the first one, that the second one would never take place.

 The Jazz Festival was cancelled because a fire, dubbed the Santa Anita Fire by 
state and federal fire officials, broke out at about 3pm in the mountains above 
Sierra Madre. The fire burned for several days, ultimately burning 584 acres at 
the time of its containment on May 1st. Two hundred thirty eight acres were in 
the Angeles National Forest, and three hundred forty six acres were within the 
corporate boundaries of Sierra Madre. Five minor injuries were reported, and 
at one point more than 1,000 firefighters were assigned to the fire. Just after 
midnight on Sunday morning the 28th, the City Council, under the leadership 
of Mayor Kurt Zimmerman, had an emergency meeting to declare the City to 
be in a state of emergency, freeing up resources from outside agencies to assist in 
fighting the fire.

 Two Red Cross shelters were set up. Approximately 1000 people were evacuated 
from Oak Crest Drive across Carter Avenue to East Mira Monte Avenue, 
continuing down Mountain Trail Avenue, across Grandview Avenue to Santa 
Anita Avenue. A wedding party of 45 people and four pets were helicoptered out 
from Sturtevant Camp, it took five helicopter trips to move them all.

 The people of Sierra Madre banded together as a community to help each other 
and the emergency personnel fighting the fire, controlling traffic, and keeping out 
looters (there was a false report that houses in the evacuation area were robbed).

In the end, only one small non-residential structure was destroyed, and the people 
of Sierra Madre had a new sense of community and appreciation for one another 
and emergency personnel. 

Sierra Madre Fire Department

In recognition of their efforts, the entire Sierra Madre Fire Department was 
named Grand Marshal of the 2008 4th of July Parade. I asked Fire Chief Steve 
Heydorff to assist with this article, and he was kind enough to do so.

SMNN: How has the Fire Department improved its preparedness for the next fire?
Chief Heydorff: Our Fire Department has changed a lot in the last five years; 
the most significant change being that we now have 24-hour staffing of both the 
RA and fire engine. Our 24-hour manning at the station has also improved our 
response time to the scene of any fire.

 The addition of full-time paid Captains is just one aspect in the Fire Department’s 
increase in preparedness. The other aspects are more training hours for both 
firefighters and officers; and we have received a new fire engine since the Santa 
Anita Fire. Communication is always the number one complaint on any after 
action review of a fire; community donations, like the radios from Rotary, help at 
a time when we were very low on new digital radios. 

 Thanks to increased training and the change in staffing models we have improved 
from an ISO rating of class IV to a class III. However, the City still has the same 
levels of reciprocity as it did five years ago - mutual aid.

One of the most important aspects of any fire is finance. The fires out, the engines 
go home, the firefighters pat each other on the back and have great stories for 
the rest of their careers. Now the work of the Fire Chief and the City’s Finance 
Director begins; and after 16 long months of filling out forms, finding and talking 
to the “right” person, the incident finally closes. (cont. page 3)

A Walk of Champions Comes 
To Arcadia

http://www.sierramadrenews.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/fire_3812-300x225.jpg
MONROVIA/DUARTE

Pg. 8 

First Responders & The 
Madison Fire

EDUCATION & YOUTH

Pg. 9

PUSD schools receive 

national recognition

http://www.sierramadrenews.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/fire_3783-300x225.jpg
FOOD & DRINK Pg. 10 

Peter Dills & Greece

BEST FRIENDS Pg. 12

Harmonius, Happy Hummer

THE GOOD LIFE Pg. 13

Savvy Senior

Senior Happenings

LA County’s Air Quality

HEALTHY LIVING Pg. 14

ARTS / ENTERTAINMENT

BUSINESS TRENDS Pg. 15

OPINION Pg. 16

LEFT TURN/RIGHT TURN 

PUBLIC NOTICES Pg. 17

Sierra Madre Ordinance

PUSD Notice of Intent

LEGAL NOTICES 

Pgs. 18-21


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