LEADERSHIP: Mike Soubirous will take the vacated Ward 3 seat on Riverside’s City Council.
By Matt Kaye
Mike Soubirous beat Valerie Hill in the Ward 3 elections to replace the long-time Ward 3 councilmember William “Rusty” Bailey, who won the mayoral election in 2012. Since Mayor Bailey took office last year, he left the Ward 3 spot vacant. The temporary replacement, Ken Gutierrez, will leave office and give his place to Soubirous in the coming months. Soubirous will be in office for two years until the next election. The normal election cycle for Ward 3 will resume in 2015.
Soubirous is a retired highway patrol officer who intends to channel his efforts to boost Riverside development. He plans to refuse the salary usually given to councilmembers. In addition, Soubirous will sacrifice much of his time and effort to continue the advancement of Riverside. In his campaign he personally went around the neighborhoods of the ward, walking doorstep to doorstep. “I will provide the leadership necessary to improve city government,” Soubirous stated in his ballot statement. This landed him a good majority of the votes and a spot on the council. Soubirous will be sworn in on December 3 at the weekly City Council meeting.
Soubirous already has some key actions he would like to pursue upon his arrival in office. He wants to work with small businesses throughout Riverside and develop a plan that will benefit small business growth. “Working with residents, I will set and achieve community priorities that will move Riverside forward,” Soubirous said. In the process, he hopes to bring changes to the city’s budget to encourage new businesses to set up shop in Riverside.
In the coming term, Soubirous means to commit himself to Riverside and offer a new approach to the city’s issues. “It’s not about me, it’s about them,” Soubirous said.