In December, the city council appointed Jeremy Smith to serve as mayor. Smith will serve in this role through 2022, leading the city in tackling pressing topics and functioning as the city’s figurehead among the five elected council members.
As he begins his term as mayor, Smith offers the following New Year message to the citizens of Canyon Lake.
“I hope each and every Canyon Laker had an amazing Christmas, and I would like to personally wish you a blessed New Year. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to serve as your mayor this coming year and would like to give a special thank you to my colleagues on the city council for allowing me this honor.
“Before we consider what 2022 will bring to Canyon Lake, I’d first like to reflect on what has taken place over the last few years. In November of 2018, Kasey Castillo and I were elected to the city council with a mission to clean up City Hall.
“It didn’t take long for us to discover how mismanaged the city was at that time. Within a month of taking office, we made a huge change by relieving the city manager of duty, conducting a recruitment, and ultimately hiring Chris Mann as Canyon Lake’s new city manager.
“Shortly thereafter, we also made a change at the key position of city attorney, bringing in Steven Graham. With new executive leadership in place, and with the help of our colleagues on the council, we worked together to fix the city’s budget, which had been in deficit for the better part of a decade.
“We worked hard to professionalize and streamline city operations, utilizing technologies that have made your local government easier to interface with. We established policies and programs that have enhanced the quality of life in Canyon Lake, while at the same time balancing our budget, all without raising taxes.
“In 2020, we were hit with Covid-19. Together, as a community, we were able to find creative solutions to make Canyon Lake one of the most business-friendly cities in all of Riverside County.
“As a result, Canyon Lake has weathered the pandemic much better than most. Sales tax and property tax revenues have increased significantly over the past two years and Canyon Lake enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in the entire County. This would not have been possible without the dedication and cooperation of the Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce, our local businesses, and many leaders within the community.
“In 2021, we lost a dear friend and mentor, Councilman Jordan Ehrenkranz, who, in my mind, was the definition of a true Canyon Laker. Always thinking of others and eager to do anything to make Canyon Lake a better place to live.
“With the passing of Jordan, the council appointed Jennifer Dain to serve, and she has been a great addition to the council. Her dedication to our community and her business mindset continue to move us in the right direction and position the city for future success.
“Now, as we look forward into 2022, it is without a doubt a great time to be a Canyon Laker. As a community, we have achieved so much that has put Canyon Lake in a position of growth and prosperity. We continue to develop programs and policies that preserve and enhance life here, without increasing the tax burden on residents.
“January 1, 2022, will hold a special place in our city’s history as we open the doors to our brand-new Canyon Lake Fire Department. The council has worked tirelessly with city staff and community leaders to make this dream a reality for Canyon Lake residents.
“The talented and experienced men and woman who make up this department are eager to get involved in the community and have already started to do so, beginning with Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse and his family who have moved to Canyon Lake and have become active participants in community activities.
“As mayor, I will continue to work with my colleagues on the city council to cut red tape where we find it, to run City Hall like a business, to employ technologies that make conducting business with the city easier and more efficient, to attract and retain the best professional staff anywhere, and to engage our youth through our successful internship program. Your city council and I are committed to the city’s vision, which is to ‘provide a quality of life that makes Canyon Lake the premier place to live in Southern California.’
“As your mayor, I will always make myself available to you, and I am truly excited about the future of our little bit of paradise!”
