Mayor Steve Croft My Year as Mayor: A Labor of Love

On July 11, I will wrap up my year as mayor of Lakewood. As is the tradition in Lakewood and most cities our size, mayoral duties will then rotate to someone else on our city council for a year of service, and I will continue to be a member of the council.

When I started my term as mayor last year, I said that I looked forward to helping Lakewood enter a period of renewal and reconnecting, after two long years of the COVID pandemic.

I am happy to say that I feel like this past year has indeed brought forth that optimistic sense of renewal and reconnecting in our city.

Our traditional full slate of community activities and events has returned. We just wrapped up our second postpandemic Pan Am Fiesta, and our second post-pandemic and post-budget crunch Civic Center Block Party. Both were enjoyed by thousands of Lakewood residents. Our recreation classes and programs for all ages are back in full swing.

And thanks to the strength of our local economy and the support from Lakewood residents who approved Measure L, our city’s financial future now looks bright and secure. Not too many cities can say that these days, but I sure am proud that Lakewood can... and I hope you are too.

Our city is now busy fulfilling the commitments made to Lakewood residents as part of Measure L.

This past year, I was happy as mayor to lead the City Council and fellow residents in a ribbon-cutting for a new

Measure L-funded tot lot playground at San Martin Park. New picnic shelters replaced aging ones at San Martin and at Rynerson parks. We also renovated aging restrooms at Rynerson Park.

Next up for the use of Measure L funds are renovations to the Palms Park community building and Weingart Senior Center, along with HVAC, electrical and roofing repairs to park community buildings spread across the city.

Measure L has also helped Lakewood with public safety improvements, including more public safety personnel, overnight security guard patrols, and traffic safety equipment. I am proud to say that the City of Lakewood continues to do all that it can to remain one of the safest communities in our region.

I’m also proud to say that during this past year, Lakewood continued to build on all the good that exists in our community to be the most neighborly and welcoming community that we can be for everyone.

Our second annual Fest-OfAll last October celebrated the fact that Lakewood is one of the most broadly diverse communities in our state, with a population from all over the country and world that closely mirrors the diversity of Los Angeles County as a whole. We added to that celebration just a few weeks ago with our city’s commemoration of Juneteenth Day, with a special reading by a Lakewood au- thor of a book she’s written for children called “We May Be Different, But We Can Come Together.” We had a wonderful gathering of residents of all ages at Mae Boyar Park for the book reading event.

Good neighborliness is a core value in Lakewood, and is demonstrated day-in and day-out by the many Lakewood residents who volunteer in our community, either through their religious organizations, Neighborhood Watch, youth groups or service clubs.

As I wrap up my year as mayor, thank you to all those Lakewood residents who are good neighbors and who make the extra effort to better our community. Thank you also to our city staff who work hard to provide good service to our residents. Thank you to my colleagues on the Lakewood City Council for contributing all the hours and care that you do in leadership for our community. And last, but certainly not least, thank you to my family for allowing me to be away from home or on the phone or computer more often than usual this past year attending to my extra responsibilities as mayor. It’s a labor that I love for the community that I love. But I am also looking forward to passing the baton to another Lakewood resident for the next year as they take on the duties of mayor of our wonderful city.

Thank you again Lakewood for the opportunity and privilege to serve you as mayor this past year. I look forward to working with our new mayor and to continuing to work for you on the Lakewood City Council in the year ahead.

The Lakewood Community News is an official publication of the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.

Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce President & CEO

Jose Luis Solache

2023 GLCC Executive Board

Chair

David Arellano

Vice Chair

Joanie Dixson

Secretary

Sherry Daisey

Treasurer

Mark Dameron

Immediate Past President

Brad Crihfield

Board Members

Travis Jackson

Mike Segura

Deena Henry

Mike Hedges

Glenn Curo

Glen Patrick

Erika Parada

Jonathan Byun

Lakewood Community News

Managing Editor

Marisela Santana

GLCC Director of Business Development & Member Value

Administrative Assistant

Kyle Henry

The Lakewood Community News is printed once a month and covers the City of Lakewood and surrounding communities, with a strong emphasis on the business community. Both the GLCC President/CEO and Managing Editor have exclusive authority over the content that is published.

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