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Mayor Randy Miller gave his view of where the city is and where it's going Thursday afternoon at the annual State of the City luncheon.
“Right off the bat let me state that the state of the city is good, not great but good for the times we are in,” Miller said at the event co-hosted by the Taft District Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau and Taft Kiwanis Club.
Miller reviewed positives in the community, and continued to encourage people to stay involved .
“I just ask that all of you that love Taft, as I do, always be positive, think about what you say, think about what you have, think about why we live here. Be a part of the future, don't be an anchor.”
He asked people to let go of a word from the city's past – Moron, once the city's name more than a century ago.
“This word comes back to haunt us periodically and the folks that reside here just can't seem to get it out of their system. It is not a word for us to be proud of or even mention,” he said. “Get over it, get rid of it, expunge it from your vocabulary.”
While Miller's speech touched briefly on many of the positives in the community, he left it to City Manager Bob Gorson to speak in more detail about the latest development – Tuesday's night tentative approval of the sale of the downtown railroad property.
Gorson said it was a great deal for the city, one that protects the city and opens the door to new development.
“The City of Taft doesn't have a lot of obligations,” Gorson said. “It's the developer that's on the hook. It's an incentive based DDA where the developer has all the obligations.”
“We are really excited about our Sunset Rails Project,” Gorson said. “We have sent a signal to the development committee that we are open for business.”
The new development will revitalize the entire downtown, Gorson said.
He pointed out that the developer the city is dealing with is master planning the entire downtown, not just the Sunset Rails project.
Here is the complete text of Miller's speech:
Hi everyone and welcome.
I come before you today as your proud but humble mayor of the City of Taft. Right off the bat let me state that the State of the City is good, not great but good for the times we are in. I was thinking back on my high school days at TUHS when I ran for a couple of class offices and was beaten soundly. Wow was that ever a blow to my ego. My biggest political claim to fame came when I was elected senior class treasurer and I never did anything because one of my class officers intimidated me so much I never knew what was in the coffers. I have learned a lesson from that experience.
After High School, I was never involved in any other organizations until I came back to Taft in 1979. In all the other places I had lived I just resided there, I didn’t live there. I knew none of my elected officials, hardly knew any of my neighbors, and just plain didn’t care what was going on around me. By the summer of 79 in Taft, I was on the Oildorado board, joined Kiwanis, was on the Oilfield Community Chest Board, and joined the Petroleum Club and became a board member. Seems there was a lack of people willing to serve on boards so why not get the new guy, he doesn’t know any different anyway. So began my odyssey in Taft.
I eventually became the President of Oildorado in 1995 and at the time I was volunteering with the Sherriff departments civilian service unit riding around on patrols with Gary Holton. I remarked at that years civic luncheon that here I am; thirty years later after I was in the Navy coming home for the 65 Oildorado, getting taken to jail for underage drinking with 4 of my friends by the Sheriff’s department; now I was president of Oildorado and working for the Sheriff. I’d come along way from that geeky pimple faced kid in high school. The lesson learned there, ya never know how things will work out for you.
Well, I won’t belabor all the issues that the council has faced in these past few years. It hasn’t been too much fun for anyone. We were bogged down in too many issues that involved personalities, conflict of interests, and greed. I give great credit to past Mayors Paul Linder and Dave Noeer whose leadership steered us through some tumultuous times. I am sure that you have tired of all the bad press and controversy that have swirled around the City, but we have been busy and have accomplished a great deal.
This past Tuesday we passed a resolution selecting our master developer of the railroad property. This has been after about 8 yrs of work, sweat, and money. We’ll be showing you a quick video presentation of what it could look like as it is being built out. Now we have a dream and a brighter future. Bob will fill you in on more of these accomplishments such as our industrial park, first time buyer grant program, our concerns over redevelopment caused by the state, and some annexations we are pursuing.
We have a historic work of art honoring our oil workers. We have begun work on the 5th street plaza to begin the re-vitalization of our downtown, bringing folks downtown for the second Friday events. We had the grandest of all Oildorado celebrations not forgetting our 100 years as a city.
We, as a City, are in stable financial shape at the moment, but it is like a house of cards that can come tumbling down if we are not careful. Many cities are in far worse dire straights than we are and may become unhinged at what will be coming down from the state. We are prepared as best we can be.
What lies ahead in the future for Taft ?? I wish I had a crystal ball. Much of what will happen for us will depend on those outside of Taft with some that will take the position that they only know what is best for us. We have the County and State to deal with, CalTrans, Department of Fish and Game, BLM, Federal regulatory agencies, various oil companies, environmental groups and all our little critter buddies like the Kit Fox, Bull Nosed Lizard, Kangaroo Rat, and San Joaquin Squirrel but to name a few. Then there are different studies that are required for anything we attempt to do, lawyers to deal with, engineers, consultants, and on and on. It is a lot to deal with but your city council is geared up to go to work.
With our Rails to trails Railroad property, that we hope to develop into a first class shopping, living, walking, and community project that will compliment the downtown experience; we are working very hard to capture your dollars that you are spending out of town; to try and get you to “Try Taft First”. Once we can entice investors to come to realize, that they will have a great opportunity to help us make Taft the destination City that it has always been, but that has never realized the potential before, we will have very bright future.
As we look to our future, I would like for each one of you, beginning today, to never utter or repeat just one word from our past, from now on to anyone. I believe it is a word so powerful that it is holding us back. This word comes back to haunt is periodically and the folks that reside here just can’t seem to get it out their system. It is not a word for us to be proud of nor even to mention. It was coined by someone who didn’t even live here; who had no attachment to the community; and who could have just as easily come up with another word in its place.
Have a guess what that word might be. ?? Moron.
Get over it, get rid of it, expunge it from your vocabulary. We don’t need to be reminded of it anymore. It certainly does not represent who we are and where we want to go.
We have too many other things to be proud of: The Fort, West Kern Oil Museum, Oil Workers Monument, Carisso Plains, Wind Wolves Preserve, Lake View Gusher, Tule Elk Preserve, our oil industry, Rails to Trails, Petroleum Highway, Taft High and Taft College, our open spaces for outdoor activities, our low crime rate, and our recreation district. The West Kern Water District is working very hard to secure our water needs for the future so that we can grow.
We’ll work diligently to get our hospital and movie theater back, but time has a way of changing things, and what once was, may never be again. We have to move on with the flow and meet the needs for our future. I just ask all of you that love Taft, as I do, always be positive, think about what you say, think about what we have, think about why you live here. Be a part of the future, don’t be an anchor.
We are currently working on updating our antiquated waste water treatment plant, relocating our underused and downhill airport, and fighting to solve the issues surrounding our beautiful flowing babbling flora and fauna of a brook: Sandy Creek. These all will take much time and many dollars, but the City is up to the task.
This last Saturday was the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, Little League opening ceremonies, Relay for life Talent contest, people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, motorcyclists in the hills, wild flowers seekers up on the Carizzo, barbeques all over town, hopefully you and your neighbors, out in the warmth, finally attacking all those not so lovely weeds, walking the trail, picnics in the various parks, enjoying the view of Mt Pinos and beyond, planting your veggies at the Community Garden. And someone has the gall to come to you and tell you there is nothing to do in Taft. I don’t think so. Just try getting around LA on a Saturday. No thanks.
Will Taft ever be like it was back 30 – 40 – 50 years ago ?? My simple answer is no. Times are different, people’s expectations are different, the economy is different, I’m different, I don’t have pimples any more. But the sense of community is the same even though the makeup of the community is different. There are too many service clubs, churches, non-profit organizations, self help groups, volunteer organizations to mention that you can be a part of to keep you busy.
Sports of all kinds have played a big role in the community and is on the upsurge again. Our new recreation center will be a wonderful addition to the community with bowling lanes and black and white shakes again.
We just need to remain positive and upbeat and we need you to participate in our community. Money is fine but time and energy is more important. Cleaning up your property to set a tone is to be a good neighbor. Paint, fix, do. Live here, don’t just reside here.
Unfortunately as your mayor I can only represent those that live in the City. Those that live in the outlying areas that use Taft as your zip code, we’d like to represent you some day. I’m always open to your comments and suggestions. To annex you in would take the will on your part and for the economics to add up on the City’s part. Until that happens, I’ll do my best to be positive and let everyone know that I meet, that I represent Taft and along with the Mayor of Maricopa, we will also represent all the Westside that I’m damn proud to be a part of.
I would like to mention as I close, for your support to finish the Kern Veterans Memorial Wall of Valor that honors our fallen heroes from WWII to the present. Out of the 1,000 names to be inscribed on the walls are 110 names from the Westside. May 6th in Taft at the corner of 10th and Kern Street will be a media day and our goal of collecting up to 10,000 to donate to finishing the monument that honors all Kern County veterans. Please contact the City for further information. Any funds over 10,000 will go to updating our Veterans Park memorial.
Let me leave you with a couple of my favorite points to ponder as I have lived in Taft over the years:
They are so right they are wrong.
People are funny about money.
Thank you for having me and letting me have the honor of representing you.
Mayor Randy Miller gave his view of where the city is and where it's going Thursday afternoon at the annual State of the City luncheon.
“Right off the bat let me state that the state of the city is good, not great but good for the times we are in,” Miller said at the event co-hosted by the Taft District Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau and Taft Kiwanis Club.
Miller reviewed positives in the community, and continued to encourage people to stay involved .
“I just ask that all of you that love Taft, as I do, always be positive, think about what you say, think about what you have, think about why we live here. Be a part of the future, don't be an anchor.”
He asked people to let go of a word from the city's past – Moron, once the city's name more than a century ago.
“This word comes back to haunt us periodically and the folks that reside here just can't seem to get it out of their system. It is not a word for us to be proud of or even mention,” he said. “Get over it, get rid of it, expunge it from your vocabulary.”
While Miller's speech touched briefly on many of the positives in the community, he left it to City Manager Bob Gorson to speak in more detail about the latest development – Tuesday's night tentative approval of the sale of the downtown railroad property.
Gorson said it was a great deal for the city, one that protects the city and opens the door to new development.
“The City of Taft doesn't have a lot of obligations,” Gorson said. “It's the developer that's on the hook. It's an incentive based DDA where the developer has all the obligations.”
“We are really excited about our Sunset Rails Project,” Gorson said. “We have sent a signal to the development committee that we are open for business.”
The new development will revitalize the entire downtown, Gorson said.
He pointed out that the developer the city is dealing with is master planning the entire downtown, not just the Sunset Rails project.
Here is the complete text of Miller's speech:
Hi everyone and welcome.
I come before you today as your proud but humble mayor of the City of Taft. Right off the bat let me state that the State of the City is good, not great but good for the times we are in. I was thinking back on my high school days at TUHS when I ran for a couple of class offices and was beaten soundly. Wow was that ever a blow to my ego. My biggest political claim to fame came when I was elected senior class treasurer and I never did anything because one of my class officers intimidated me so much I never knew what was in the coffers. I have learned a lesson from that experience.
After High School, I was never involved in any other organizations until I came back to Taft in 1979. In all the other places I had lived I just resided there, I didn’t live there. I knew none of my elected officials, hardly knew any of my neighbors, and just plain didn’t care what was going on around me. By the summer of 79 in Taft, I was on the Oildorado board, joined Kiwanis, was on the Oilfield Community Chest Board, and joined the Petroleum Club and became a board member. Seems there was a lack of people willing to serve on boards so why not get the new guy, he doesn’t know any different anyway. So began my odyssey in Taft.
I eventually became the President of Oildorado in 1995 and at the time I was volunteering with the Sherriff departments civilian service unit riding around on patrols with Gary Holton. I remarked at that years civic luncheon that here I am; thirty years later after I was in the Navy coming home for the 65 Oildorado, getting taken to jail for underage drinking with 4 of my friends by the Sheriff’s department; now I was president of Oildorado and working for the Sheriff. I’d come along way from that geeky pimple faced kid in high school. The lesson learned there, ya never know how things will work out for you.
Well, I won’t belabor all the issues that the council has faced in these past few years. It hasn’t been too much fun for anyone. We were bogged down in too many issues that involved personalities, conflict of interests, and greed. I give great credit to past Mayors Paul Linder and Dave Noeer whose leadership steered us through some tumultuous times. I am sure that you have tired of all the bad press and controversy that have swirled around the City, but we have been busy and have accomplished a great deal.
This past Tuesday we passed a resolution selecting our master developer of the railroad property. This has been after about 8 yrs of work, sweat, and money. We’ll be showing you a quick video presentation of what it could look like as it is being built out. Now we have a dream and a brighter future. Bob will fill you in on more of these accomplishments such as our industrial park, first time buyer grant program, our concerns over redevelopment caused by the state, and some annexations we are pursuing.
We have a historic work of art honoring our oil workers. We have begun work on the 5th street plaza to begin the re-vitalization of our downtown, bringing folks downtown for the second Friday events. We had the grandest of all Oildorado celebrations not forgetting our 100 years as a city.
We, as a City, are in stable financial shape at the moment, but it is like a house of cards that can come tumbling down if we are not careful. Many cities are in far worse dire straights than we are and may become unhinged at what will be coming down from the state. We are prepared as best we can be.
What lies ahead in the future for Taft ?? I wish I had a crystal ball. Much of what will happen for us will depend on those outside of Taft with some that will take the position that they only know what is best for us. We have the County and State to deal with, CalTrans, Department of Fish and Game, BLM, Federal regulatory agencies, various oil companies, environmental groups and all our little critter buddies like the Kit Fox, Bull Nosed Lizard, Kangaroo Rat, and San Joaquin Squirrel but to name a few. Then there are different studies that are required for anything we attempt to do, lawyers to deal with, engineers, consultants, and on and on. It is a lot to deal with but your city council is geared up to go to work.
With our Rails to trails Railroad property, that we hope to develop into a first class shopping, living, walking, and community project that will compliment the downtown experience; we are working very hard to capture your dollars that you are spending out of town; to try and get you to “Try Taft First”. Once we can entice investors to come to realize, that they will have a great opportunity to help us make Taft the destination City that it has always been, but that has never realized the potential before, we will have very bright future.
As we look to our future, I would like for each one of you, beginning today, to never utter or repeat just one word from our past, from now on to anyone. I believe it is a word so powerful that it is holding us back. This word comes back to haunt is periodically and the folks that reside here just can’t seem to get it out their system. It is not a word for us to be proud of nor even to mention. It was coined by someone who didn’t even live here; who had no attachment to the community; and who could have just as easily come up with another word in its place.
Have a guess what that word might be. ?? Moron.
Get over it, get rid of it, expunge it from your vocabulary. We don’t need to be reminded of it anymore. It certainly does not represent who we are and where we want to go.
We have too many other things to be proud of: The Fort, West Kern Oil Museum, Oil Workers Monument, Carisso Plains, Wind Wolves Preserve, Lake View Gusher, Tule Elk Preserve, our oil industry, Rails to Trails, Petroleum Highway, Taft High and Taft College, our open spaces for outdoor activities, our low crime rate, and our recreation district. The West Kern Water District is working very hard to secure our water needs for the future so that we can grow.
We’ll work diligently to get our hospital and movie theater back, but time has a way of changing things, and what once was, may never be again. We have to move on with the flow and meet the needs for our future. I just ask all of you that love Taft, as I do, always be positive, think about what you say, think about what we have, think about why you live here. Be a part of the future, don’t be an anchor.
We are currently working on updating our antiquated waste water treatment plant, relocating our underused and downhill airport, and fighting to solve the issues surrounding our beautiful flowing babbling flora and fauna of a brook: Sandy Creek. These all will take much time and many dollars, but the City is up to the task.
This last Saturday was the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, Little League opening ceremonies, Relay for life Talent contest, people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, motorcyclists in the hills, wild flowers seekers up on the Carizzo, barbeques all over town, hopefully you and your neighbors, out in the warmth, finally attacking all those not so lovely weeds, walking the trail, picnics in the various parks, enjoying the view of Mt Pinos and beyond, planting your veggies at the Community Garden. And someone has the gall to come to you and tell you there is nothing to do in Taft. I don’t think so. Just try getting around LA on a Saturday. No thanks.
Will Taft ever be like it was back 30 – 40 – 50 years ago ?? My simple answer is no. Times are different, people’s expectations are different, the economy is different, I’m different, I don’t have pimples any more. But the sense of community is the same even though the makeup of the community is different. There are too many service clubs, churches, non-profit organizations, self help groups, volunteer organizations to mention that you can be a part of to keep you busy.
Sports of all kinds have played a big role in the community and is on the upsurge again. Our new recreation center will be a wonderful addition to the community with bowling lanes and black and white shakes again.
We just need to remain positive and upbeat and we need you to participate in our community. Money is fine but time and energy is more important. Cleaning up your property to set a tone is to be a good neighbor. Paint, fix, do. Live here, don’t just reside here.
Unfortunately as your mayor I can only represent those that live in the City. Those that live in the outlying areas that use Taft as your zip code, we’d like to represent you some day. I’m always open to your comments and suggestions. To annex you in would take the will on your part and for the economics to add up on the City’s part. Until that happens, I’ll do my best to be positive and let everyone know that I meet, that I represent Taft and along with the Mayor of Maricopa, we will also represent all the Westside that I’m damn proud to be a part of.
I would like to mention as I close, for your support to finish the Kern Veterans Memorial Wall of Valor that honors our fallen heroes from WWII to the present. Out of the 1,000 names to be inscribed on the walls are 110 names from the Westside. May 6th in Taft at the corner of 10th and Kern Street will be a media day and our goal of collecting up to 10,000 to donate to finishing the monument that honors all Kern County veterans. Please contact the City for further information. Any funds over 10,000 will go to updating our Veterans Park memorial.
Let me leave you with a couple of my favorite points to ponder as I have lived in Taft over the years:
They are so right they are wrong.
People are funny about money.
Thank you for having me and letting me have the honor of representing you.
