Walker enjoys working with council, citizens on quality-of-life issues
Councilwoman Terry Walker said preventing crime would remain a primary focus if she were elected to a second term. She also thinks it’s time to revisit the city’s multiple trash hauler policy.
When Terry Walker moved to town with husband Woody in 1981 to work at his father’s La Cañada Pet Clinic, she saw a sign on the Foothill (210) Freeway that read, “La Cañada Flintridge: Next Three Exits.”
“I remember taking a deep breath and thinking, ‘OK, here we go,’ ” she recalled.
She didn’t know then what awaited her were friendships and community partnerships that would lay the foundation of a long professional career and ultimately set her on the path of public service.
Nearly four decades later, Walker, 66, is rounding out her first term on the La Cañada Flintridge City Council after serving on the Planning and Public Works and Traffic commissions. She’s seeking a second term in March.
Why? Because she sincerely likes interacting with citizens and working with city staff and fellow council members on issues that affect La Cañadans’ quality of life.
“We have a great town, and if I can have any input in keeping it the way people want it, then I enjoy that,” she said.
Walker attended UCLA for two years but left in 1973 to enroll in Sawyer Business School so she could enter the workforce right away. She worked in customer service while her sons — Wes, now 37, and 34-year-old Wade — were growing up and, in 1991, took a job at La Cañada’s Allen Lund Co., which led to her involvement with the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
She served three terms as chamber president and chaired the Business Support and Development Committee. She’s also volunteered for the La Cañada Flintridge Guild of Huntington Memorial Hospital since 1986 and served on the YMCA of the Foothills Board of Directors.
As an incumbent, Walker pointed to several recent milestones, from revitalization of the Town Center and securing funding for freeway sound walls to the defeat of the 710 Freeway tunnel and success of the La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn.
“We’ve had a lot of cultural exchanges, not just with our kids but with adults,” said Walker, who traveled to Spanish sister city Villañueva de la Cañada in 2018. “It’s stirred a lot of enthusiasm in our town.”
Walker said working with the Sheriff’s Department and neighborhood watch groups to prevent crime would remain a primary focus moving forward. She also thinks it’s time to revisit the city’s multiple trash hauler policy to see if truck trips may be reduced.
Another important dynamic is maintaining local control in the face of sweeping state mandates, especially related to housing, she said. Strengthening regional partnerships and relationships with legislators will be crucial to preserving the city’s character.
“We’re very lucky to live in this town,” Walker added. “People enjoy this not only as a place to live but as a community. Those are the things we need to work hard to protect.”
