| Dear Friend,
Much has been said through the course of this election about my husband, Candidate for College of The Canyons-Seat 5, Patrick Hill. To say his opponent and his supporters have taken certain liberties with facts is a gross understatement. I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you first hand who Patrick is and why he’s running. In the process I will clear up some egregious manipulations of perspective.
Patrick was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley in Chatsworth. We lived in Palmdale for four years. For 3 of those years, we commuted to Santa Clarita several times a week for our daughters to participate in the Canyons Aquatic program at College of the Canyons where Patrick and I have been active as parent volunteers. In December 2010 we moved our family to Canyon Country. We believe in this community, so much so that Santa Clarita is where we choose to raise our family.
Many have asked about Patrick, “Isn’t he the guy from Bakersfield?” We have never lived in Bakersfield. Patrick teaches as an adjunct Professor at CSU Bakersfield at the Antelope Valley campus. This distortion is only meant to diminish Patrick’s ties to the community.
I’ve also heard: “Patrick Hill…That guy is married to a Democrat”! I am not registered to vote as a Democrat. I am registered as Declined to State, which means I chose to not register with a political party. With the challenges COC faces, don’t you think there are more important issues to talk about than how I am registered to vote?
For Patrick, education is not only a profession, it’s his calling and he could not be more passionate about it. He has dedicated his entire life to helping those with special needs. The research for his doctoral dissertation was based on Santa Clarita’s public schools and the experiences of children with Autism. It was through that research where Patrick first saw an opportunity where he could make a difference. The funding challenges our schools face have a direct impact on the quality of education SCV students receive. Patrick knows a creative, outside the box solution must be sought out and implemented to tackle the funding cuts. He believes the board members entrusted with the future of Santa Clarita’s youth must take a proactive approach to ensuring students have access to a quality education.
As for the approach of Scott Wilk, the COC Seat 5 Incumbent, this means pointing the finger at state government. Since when has playing the blame game ever fixed a problem? Yes, Sacramento is an issue, but it’s not the only one. Of course Wilk’s focus is always shifting towards Sacramento, he is running for State Assembly. In just a few short months after the COC election in November, Wilk will be asking voters to send him to Sacramento. His campaign for COC Trustee runs in lockstep with his State Assembly campaign. Are the best interests of the students of COC best served by the distraction of an Assembly campaign? We know Scott Wilk’s answer is yes. What else would you expect from a career politician?
In closing, I want to leave you with one final thing about Patrick: his commitment to the education system is unmatched, especially by the likes of his opponent. Scott Wilk is a career politician who has proven time and again he is only interested in his own personal ascent up the political chain. Wilk is a career politician who is all too happy to use the backs of COC students as a stepping-stone to further his political ambitions. Patrick’s dedication to youth will keep him focused on serving COC students for years to come.
I’d like to ask Santa Clarita to vote for my husband, Pat Hill, for COC Trustee Seat 5 on November 8.
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