Givens looking to continue progress

First in a series of stories featuring candidates for Shafter City Council, to be elected Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Shafter Mayor Chad Givens is serving his third term on the council, being first elected in 2016. Givens has been an advocate since his first term for the focus of the city to be put on growth and the importance of families in Shafter.

Givens said that the city has made great progress the past few years, but that there is still much work left to do. "The focus for me has been strong community through healthy family engagement and environment."

During the last two years, Givens said that the city has established a strategic plan to create a new era of quality of life drivers to enhance the city's functionality. "I have been the creative driver for the downtown adhoc committe, which oversaw the startup and continued running of Firsts Fridays and now the Farmer's Market events. This is also leading to additional events downtown and the revamp of the community Harvest Festival sponsored by the Shafter Lions Club."

Givens said that the group also created the economic development committee which has overseen the branding and strategic planning of business growth within the city core, including ICSC conferences for business opportunities.

"We should see some incredible announcements in the next few months regarding planning. This is on top of our council focus on enhanced education partnership opportunities and our continued pursuit to have the safest city in California, by hiring, training and retaining the best in class police force.

"The city continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in California, and it requires us to ensure that we maintain a high level of quality of life and community connections, promoting healthy families and strategic growth that gives our residents what they have asked for over the course of the last 10 years."