The Platform
Serving The Community
Your candidate has been part of this community for many years, working tirelessly to make it a better place.
Top Goals
Mark Austin is a 30-year resident of the Fillmore area and was drawn to this community by the small-town atmosphere. Mark believes we live in one of the best communities in Southern California and wants it stay that way. He joined the City Council 8 years ago after serving 12 years as a Fillmore Planning Commissioner. Mark understands how local government works and knows how to get things done. Mark is an experienced leader that Fillmore residents can count on.
Mark has a BS from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from CSU, Channel Islands.
Council Member Austin’s goals for Fillmore include:
Strengthen and Grow the Local Economy
Business development, job creation, and tax revenue are extremely important to Fillmore because it creates more opportunity and a better quality of life for citizens. Over the next 4 years, I will continue to work towards streamlining the permitting process to allow businesses to open and locate within Fillmore more quickly. Fillmore needs to cooperate with business owners to develop ways to say yes instead of no to projects that will benefit Fillmore As your council member, I will continue to make business and job creation in Fillmore a priority.
Continue to Provide Public Safety Resources for a Secure Community
Ventura County, which includes Fillmore, is recognized as one of the safest counties in the State of California. Over the past 8 years, I have provided the funding needed to maintain service ratios for our police and fire departments. Funding has also been provided to train and graduate 17 reserve fire fighters and install a police station emergency generator. As your council member, I will continue to ensure our public safety professionals are provided with the resources needed to keep our families and community safe.
Maintain and improve Our City’s Street System
Many of our streets are in dire need of repair with many major potholes due to the substantial rains. Some of the more severe street issues Citywide are Village Square and Orange Grove between Santa Clara and 126. The repaving and maintenance of these streets have been deferred over the years due to City funding issues. We are allotted money from the state in the form of gas taxes, and general sales tax which do not amount to a lot of money. I plan to tackle this issue over the next 4 years by setting aside general fund reserves each year to be used only for Citywide roadway improvements. I also plan to apply for several state and federal grants available to communities like Fillmore.
Endorsements
- Carrie Broggie. Fillmore Mayor
- Diane McCall, Former Fillmore Mayor
- Ernie Villegas, Former Fillmore Mayor
- Scott Lee, Former Fillmore Mayor, and Janet Lee
- Simone Alex, Former Fillmore Councilmember
- Duke Bradbury, Former Fillmore Police Officer
- Scott Beylik, Fillmore School Board Member
- Diane and Steve Sutton, Community Members
- Kathy Munoz Mesa, Community Member
- Tim and Amy Gurrola, Community Members
- Luis and Lindsey Rodriguez, Community Members
- Gary Cushing, Community Member
