Eastvale Council Member Bill Link
By Jennifer Madrigal
Q: What do you feel is the biggest challenge for 2014?
A. “I feel the biggest challenge in 2014 is to review the use of our vacant land and determine the best use of this land as defined by what our citizens need, as well as a long-term revenue stream for the city.”
Q: What is your number one goal for the City of Eastvale this year?
A. “My focus this year would be an economic development plan aimed at the financial sustainability of Eastvale for years to come. Everyone wants better law enforcement, fire protection, safety, and a great quality of life; these can only be achieved when the city has long-term financial stability. In years to come, with population increases and inflation, these services will cost more. I read a quote years ago, ‘What works today may not work tomorrow; evolution is mandatory’. I believe this applies to how we must handle the future needs of our residents.”
Q: What feels great about Eastvale to you?
A. “The great feeling I get about Eastvale revolves around our fantastic residents. They are more in tune with this community than anywhere else I’ve ever lived. They participate in community activities as volunteers with no anticipation of any reward other than the betterment of Eastvale. As an example, a few years ago I read on Yahoo Residents website that a mother of three wanted to take her children to the snow and she asked if anyone had snow clothes she could borrow. Within 20 minutes she had three different strangers offering to help. You will not find that anywhere else. Anyone who thinks about this a bit has to feel a little warm inside.”
Q: How long have you been here in Eastvale? What’s your history with the city?
A. “My lovely wife, Sharyn, and I moved to Eastvale in 2008 purely by accident. Our kids, who live in Chino Hills, had just given us a new granddaughter and like any grandparents we wanted to be closer to her. So one Saturday morning we left on an excursion in search of a home closer to our granddaughter and in our travels into different areas we stumbled upon Eastvale. My wife was driving, so it is obvious that at some point a wrong turn was to be made and we would be lost. We just turned into a track for the purpose of turning around when we saw an Open House sign and decided to take a look. Sharyn immediately fell in with the house and we put an offer in the next day. It was accepted and here we are.
Since moving to Eastvale, we have participated in many civic activities. The first thing we became involved in was the Cityhood Celebration, for which I was in charge of logistics, working with Al and Gina Nassar (the greatest event coordinators anywhere). Then I was appointed to the first Planning Commission right after cityhood, where I served for three years, two of which were as Planning Commission Chairman. On January 8th of this year I was appointed to the City Council to fill the remaining term of Kelly Howell, who had resigned. Kelly did a magnificent job. I can’t give her enough praise for her hard work and dedication. To be honest, she is the one that influenced me to apply for the City Council.
Sharyn has been active in many volunteer positions and is currently the Executive Director of the Eastvale Community Foundation. I’m so proud of her for all the unselfish giving of her time and efforts to make the foundation great.”
