Mayor’s View: Crawford embraces third term as mayor

By Crystal Crawford

Del Mar Mayor

The City welcomed two new council members, Don Mosier and Mark Filanc, as well as second term councilmember Carl Hilliard, at a swearing in ceremony on Dec. 2. The special night was also a farewell and a well-deserved thank you to two of our longest serving council members - Mayor David Druker and councilmember Henry Abarbanel. During 12 years of service, their contributions were instrumental to many of the City’s successes.

As is customary in our community, my fellow council members appointed me mayor and Richard Earnest deputy mayor for the next year. It is truly an honor to serve as Del Mar’s mayor once again and I look forward to a busy 2009 working with our new council on a wide variety of local and regional issues.

Next year promises to be an exciting one as we celebrate Del Mar’s 50th anniversary. While Del Mar’s recent history dates back to the 1800s, it was officially incorporated on July 15, 1959. Volunteer organizations are planning a year-long celebration, which will include a public celebration reminiscent of our past on July 12, 2009, at the Powerhouse Park and Community Center. Stay tuned for more details!

Much has happened over the last 50 years that we can be proud of! For example, Del Mar successfully moved I-5 eastward and avoided having a freeway dissecting our community along Camino del Mar. We fought the unbridled development of Carmel Valley as well as the destruction of our historic and beautiful North Torrey Pines Bridge. We worked tirelessly to protect the San Dieguito Lagoon; the restoration by Southern California Edison is nearing completion and priceless habitat will be monitored and sustained into perpetuity.

Time and time again, Del Mar and its citizens have stepped up and donated time, money and expertise to preserve valuable resources such as Seagrove Park, Powerhouse Park, the Powerhouse Community Center, the City Library and now the Shores Property. With your support and valuable input, the City Council will continue to protect our community and plan for our future.

Our colorful past proves that even though we cannot do everything we want as quickly as we want, we can steadfastly make progress toward our goals. Even though Del Mar is the smallest city in San Diego County, our motto “Multum in Parvo” (Much from Little) says it all!