Castillo said the moment felt both exciting and historic, adding that she feels a strong sense of responsibility to serve the community.<\/p>\n
City of Taft swears in new mayor and council members during special meeting<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting,\u201d Castillo said. \u201cIt\u2019s also, I feel like I have a huge responsibility, not just because of it being so historic, but there\u2019s a lot of community building, transparency, trust, things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Castillo said one of her top priorities is to strengthen communication between City Hall and residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to have more community engagement,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving a monthly meeting with the mayor, hearing from our members, and then that way we could put a strategic plan.”<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a new day,\u201d Castillo continued. \u201cWe saw how a lot of people came together through the unfortunate situation of the hailstorm. That is really what Taft is about helping out one another when times get tough. There\u2019s a lot of positive energy, a lot of hope, and a lot of people wanting to get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreno and Cruz said being sworn in was a moment they had both looked forward to after a long campaign.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Adam Beam<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a journey,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cJust looking forward to working with our public works, with our city secretary, city manager, police department, and kind of just do what\u2019s right for Taft moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cruz described the experience as both exciting and humbling.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little nervous, more excitement than anything,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re finally in our seats, we\u2019re ready to serve the city of Taft and be the voice for the community and working well with everyone in-house at City Hall, public works and police department, just everyone, to do what is right and to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both council members said they want to focus on improving infrastructure, financial stability, and public spaces for residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have two years,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cThings don\u2019t happen overnight. We ask for everybody to be patient. We have a lot to review and go over and just build a better future, streets, the water, parks for the kids, there\u2019s a lot to be done. We just want financial stability to be able to move forward. Without that, we can\u2019t do anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
They thanked residents for participating in the election and said they are eager to begin serving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thank the citizens for coming out and voting,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cWe thank them for their contribution, their support, their love, their voices were heard, and we just look forward to moving in the right direction together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited,\u201d Cruz added. \u201cWe\u2019re ready to work for the city of Taft and for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the latest local news updates, click here<\/a>, or download the KRIS 6 News App.<\/a><\/p>\n