Town Council ready to reorganize

GLENDALE — Major changes could be in store for the Crescenta Valley Town Council next year as a new branch of leaders looks to modify the group’s breadth and structure and expand the group’s exposure.

New council President Steve Pierce, who was tapped at a December meeting to lead the group, is slated to propose the changes at a Jan. 8 executive meeting, hoping that in 2009 the council will become more “topical,” “proactive” and informal, he said.

Council meetings that had been run by Grace Andrus, mayor of the group in 2008, were often bound by formality: Council members were officially recognized by title before speaking, and residents wanting to talk to the group were asked to adhere to parliamentarian procedures employed by most city councils and other governmental groups.

“I’ve never been a title person,” Pierce said. “I probably will be a little less structured and a little less formal.”

Pierce also plans to propose that the council change its meeting place once a month away from the Crescenta Valley High School Library to other locations around town, such as the Sparr Heights Community Center in north Glendale, he said.

To that end, Pierce — who eschewed Andrus’ preferred title of “mayor” for “president” — wants to include more voices from around the foothills and include some who may not have been involved with the council in the past.

“Sometimes we get locked into a [meeting place] that doesn’t incorporate everyone’s opinions,” he said. “We want to allow the public to come in and chat with us and give people a chance to feel more a part of the community. We represent all aspects of the community.”

Pierce, who has served on the Town Council since 2005, most recently as vice mayor, also aims to tackle more substantive issues head-on to “get the people back out to the council meetings,” he said.

Under Andrus, the Town Council has been accused of failing to weigh in on major items in the region with the force some say was needed.

Vocal Town Council critic Mike Lawler has said the group needs to more aggressively confront controversial projects around town to be a more effective voice for the community. Meanwhile, some flocked to the Crescenta Valley Community Assn., an informal gathering of residents he co-founded to discuss development issues around town.