Vote For Don Bolin

My Bio

I’m not running because I consider myself a politician. I’m running because I’m an everyday resident of Soledad who goes to work, pays the bills, watches the cost of living continue to rise, and wants to know that the money our community contributes is being used responsibly and actually benefiting the people who live here. I also hold a bachelor’s degree in public health, which has shaped the way I look at our community. Public health has taught me that a thriving community is about much more than healthcare. Safe neighborhoods, stable housing, good jobs, financial security, access to services, and the environment around us all contribute to our quality of life. That perspective has taught me to look at the bigger picture and recognize how decisions made at City Hall can ultimately affect people’s everyday lives. Like many of you, I commute to work. I’ve watched our water bills increase. I’ve watched taxes and the cost of everyday necessities continue to climb. My family dynamic may look a little different, and I’m not raising children myself, but I can only imagine what these increases mean for families who are. Because an increase in a water bill isn’t just an increase. That money could have been a new pair of shoes for a child. It could have been school clothes. It could have been a tank of gas to get to work. It could have been groceries for the week. And this doesn’t only affect families raising children. It affects our retirees and elderly residents living on fixed incomes. It affects working families. It affects lower-income households. It affects people who are doing everything they can to make ends meet. Ultimately, it affects all of us. When the city asks residents to pay more, I believe the city has an obligation to demonstrate why that increase is necessary, where that money is going, and what residents are receiving in return. But I believe we need to go one step further. Our city needs to become more proactive and less reactive. Too often, problems are allowed to grow until they reach the point where something has to be done immediately. By then, the options may be limited, the solution may be more expensive, and residents are left wondering why they weren’t told about the problem sooner. We should be identifying problems early, planning for future expenses, maintaining our infrastructure before it reaches a crisis, and communicating openly with residents along the way. Our community shouldn’t be caught off guard by a sudden increase in a bill or a major decision that affects their everyday lives. If the city knows that a significant expense, infrastructure problem, or rate increase may be coming, the public deserves to know too. Being proactive doesn’t mean we can prevent every problem. It means we’re planning ahead instead of constantly playing catch-up. Fiscal responsibility, accountability, transparency, and forward planning will be priorities of mine. We need to protect our city’s financial future, carefully examine spending, and make sure public dollars are being directed toward services and improvements that provide real value to the people paying those bills. We cannot continually ask residents to shoulder higher costs without also being willing to take a hard look at our own spending priorities at City Hall. Public safety is also deeply important to me. One of the things I love about Soledad is seeing children outside simply being children. Drive through our neighborhoods and you’ll see kids riding their bikes and scooters, playing with their friends, walking with their families and their dogs, and enjoying their neighborhoods. We have a responsibility to protect that. Our children are sacred, and every child in Soledad deserves to grow up in a community where they and their families can feel safe outside their own homes. Public safety is another area where being proactive matters. We shouldn’t wait for problems to become serious before addressing them. I want to work with our residents, law enforcement, first responders, schools, and community organizations to identify concerns early and help keep our neighborhoods safe. We also need to get serious about growing Soledad’s economy. Too often, our residents have to drive 20–30 minutes outside of town for shopping, dining, entertainment, and other services. Every time we leave Soledad to spend that money somewhere else, those dollars and the sales-tax revenue they generate are benefiting another community. We need those opportunities here. We need to make Soledad a place where businesses want to invest, where entrepreneurs can succeed, where residents have more choices, and where more of the money earned by people in our community stays in our community. Part of that means taking a serious look at how we can streamline the permitting and approval process for businesses, both big and small. Starting or expanding a business already requires a tremendous investment of time and money. City government should make that process as clear, efficient, and predictable as reasonably possible, not create unnecessary obstacles that discourage investment. We also have to recognize that Soledad is competing with other communities for that investment. When the process of establishing a business becomes unnecessarily arduous or time-consuming, a business may decide that if it has to spend that much time and money waiting for approvals, it would rather do so in a larger city where it expects a greater return on that investment. I want us to ask a simple question: What can we do to make Soledad an easier place to do business without sacrificing the standards that protect our community? That means identifying unnecessary delays, improving communication between applicants and the city, making requirements clearer from the beginning, and looking for opportunities to move applications through the process more efficiently. Whether it’s a local resident trying to open a small business or a larger employer considering an investment in Soledad, I want them to feel that our city wants them here and is willing to work with them. A stronger local economy means more jobs, more opportunities, more choices for residents, and a stronger revenue base to support the services our community expects, without continually looking to residents to make up the difference. Housing must be part of that conversation as well. We need more housing options, including opportunities for homeownership and single-family homes. We should identify unnecessary red tape and other obstacles that leave responsible housing projects stagnant while making sure new growth is thoughtfully planned and supported by the infrastructure and city services it requires. Economic development, housing, public safety, infrastructure, affordability, and responsible city finances aren’t separate issues. They all work together to determine whether a community simply gets by or truly thrives. And there’s something else that’s extremely important to me: being a voice for the people I represent. I understand that not everyone has the time to run down to City Hall every time something concerns them. People are working. They’re commuting. They’re raising families. They’re caring for loved ones. They’re trying to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. After a long day, attending a City Council meeting may simply not be possible. That doesn’t mean your opinion matters any less. You shouldn’t have to stand at a podium at City Hall for your concerns to matter. Representation shouldn’t belong only to the people who have the time to show up at every meeting. That’s what your City Council representative is supposed to be there for. Tell me what’s happening in your neighborhood. Tell me what’s working. Tell me what isn’t. Tell me when you think the city got something right, and tell me when you think we got it wrong. Let me be that voice for you. I won’t always be able to give everyone the answer they want, and I won’t promise things that I can’t deliver. But I can promise to listen, ask questions, bring your concerns forward, and make sure the people I represent aren’t forgotten when decisions are being made. I’m not going to agree with everyone on everything, and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. But I will listen. I will ask questions. I will explain my reasoning. I will question things when they don’t make sense. And I will never forget that an elected official works for the people, not the other way around. I live here too. These are my streets. These are my bills. This is my community. This is my home. I’m Don Bolin, and I’m running to represent District 2 on the Soledad City Council. Let me be your voice. I would be honored to earn your support.

My Key Issues