This Editorial appeared in March, 2004.

Zolnekoff's shoes hard to fill

Suddenly, the Whittier City Council election coming upApril 6 is a horse race of a different color.  Council member and former Mayor Allan Zolnekoff saw to that when he announced to this newspaper that he will not seek a fourth, four-year term.

He said he faces minor surgery to correct a problem that has been decreasing his energy and, as an only child, he feels he wants to spend more time assisting his aging parents.

Up to the time he announced his decision not to run, it appeared that all three incumbents would be seeking new terms, Mayor Dave Butler and Mayor Pro Tem Owen Newcomer, besides Zolnekoff.

Even with that scenario, three contenders had already announced their intentions to seek election.  They are Cathy Warner, three term member of the Whittier Union High School District Board and before that served on the East Whittier City School Board, local attorney Alex Moisa, and Elvira Moreno De Guzman, who moved to Whittier from Maywood.

So now, it will be interesting to see if Zolnekoff's open seat will open the flood gates to others, who still have until Jan. 21 to file.

That said, we should also comment on Zolnekoff's 12 years on the council.

If you like the evolution of bike trails in Whittier, you have to have liked Zolnekoff's tenure on the council. 

In his own words, Zolnekoff said when he first ran for city office in 1992, "I was just a dad who was interested in bike paths".

And, incase you haven't noticed, Whittier has gone from a city virtually without bike paths, to a city laced with them, a city with a cross-town Greenway Trail currently under construction.

Zolnekoff has been a good friend of preservation and conservancy in Whittier.  He also has been a key supporter of the various major redevelopment projects - Whittwood shopping center, Whittier Boulevard improvement and general plan, Uptown Whittier - that will shape Whittier in future years.

Of all the council members in recent memory, Zolnekoff has been the best at communicating- often through this newspaper- information he felt the public had a right to know.

He has a good sense of humor but, as a result, some people failed to take him as seriously as they should have.  That was a mistake.

As Zolnekoff's council years wind down, we believe he has served the city well and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.

We know that he will continue to be a factor for the good of the Whitttier community.