by Kenia Marrufo
Age is nothing but a number for the youngest candidate, Philip Falcone, who is running for city council of Ward 1 in Riverside.
As a former International Relations Officer for the city of Riverside, the young candidate hopes his previous accomplishments and knowledge will gain him the ability to seek change and create a better future for the city’s development of affordable housing, the resolution of the cit’s infrastructure and maintaining the focus on historic preservation.
Working alongside the mayor of Riverside, Rusty Bailey, local residents and business owners have gained to support Falcone’s campaign run due to his dedication and youthful enthusiasm.
“We need a breath of fresh air and he is it,” Ward 1 resident Carmie Cravens said. “He is infectious with his energy, his platform and his ideas that he has shared with us, I believe him.”
Business owners in Ward 1 expressed their issues regarding the city’s infrastructure due to old buildings, lack of parking and the most critical issue of providing sources for the homeless.
“We have been here since 1997 in downtown and I have seen all the changes gone in that time and it has gotten worse. Nothing has gotten better, parking has gotten worse,” Chuck Avila, owner of the Avila Terrace, said. “We can’t keep going down the same road, we want to make a change now.”
As the city progresses, new facility developments have been built but in Falcone’s campaign agenda he would like to re-introduce the policy of disapproving warehouse development in the city.
“We are in several battles right now over warehouses in the city of Riverside, I say warehousing is the least creative form of land use, it does not bring jobs to our community, it is a hazard to our environment, it jeopardizes our unique history,” Falcone said.
Nancy Cox, a volunteer for the Evergreen Cemetery is a strong supporter for Falcone’s policy.
“I am behind Philip, for his strong belief in historic preservation, I think our city is maybe losing focus on that, but I know if Philip is on the city council he will continue push the focus to remain on historic preservation,” Cox said.
Running for city council may be a challenge for most candidates, but for the young Falcone it’s just another accomplishment and victory to advance the future for the city of Riverside.
“There are some people who are just born to do certain things. And Philip is born to serve,” campaign manager Michelle Davis said.
