Page 6 - Community Newsletter :: Spring 2021

Being on the City Council, there is little doubt she has goals that she wishes to accomplish. One of her biggest goals is the homeless issue the city is faced with. “During my term in office, I plan to work on curbing homelessness in our community. I have been appointed as Chairperson of the Task Force to End Homelessness, by the Mayor.
The Mayor and I meet regularly with other members of the task force (that are key city personnel) to discuss ideas and strategies to implement with the help of other agencies that can provide the needed services and resources to assist homeless individuals get off the streets,” say Marroquin. Next on her list is dealing with vacant or abandoned property and the mess that often accompanies it. She explains, “the City of El Centro is a great place to live and raise a family, however, there is much work needed to clean up and beautify our city. As I drive around, I see many empty lots with overgrown weeds and bushes as well as abandoned buildings and other properties that need attention.
My dream is to bring residents together for community clean-up days at least once a month. People helping people to make our city clean and safe. Marroquin believes that by enhancing the appearance of the City of El Centro and working on street improvements, the city will be more appealing to developers wanting to construct new homes and businesses which, in turn, will make the city a better place to live and work. Part of her plan is to also urge vacant commercial property owners to become more involved and to revitalize their buildings along with making them available for lease or rent at reasonable
prices. According to Marroquin, “affordable location can encourage entrepreneurship and the establishment of new businesses.”
The downtown area is not forgotten in Sylvia’s plans to improve the City of El Centro. “The City of El Centro recognizes that the downtown area is plagued with many vacant dilapidated buildings. The City’s code enforcement officer has been working on locating the owners and sending notifications requesting that they take responsibility of bringing their property up to code and meet regulations. However, these property owners have been unresponsive.
“The Mayor has appointed me and Council Member Martha Cardenas-Singh to the Downtown Ad Hoc Committee. We have met with other members of the committee that are key city personnel to discuss a course of action for the downtown area. An undertaking of this caliber requires funding that the city does not have. We are looking at the possibility of relocating funds earmarked for other projects. I hope that we will succeed so that we can begin clean-up efforts in the downtown area,” Marroquin states.
Sylvia has a full agenda, but that doesn’t seem to curb her kindness and patience for others. She embraces the journey she worked hard to obtain and looks forward to working for the public. “I would like to thank the residents of El Centro for placing their trust in me to help lead our city out of this pandemic and into prosperity”, she says.
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