By David Burke, Council member
The City of Cypress recently completed a transition from at-large to by-district elections for city council members. Cypress now joins the majority of cities in Orange County, and our own Cypress School District, in having made this change to comply with the California Voting Rights Act. In November, 2024, for the first time, Cypress residents will begin electing council members by district.
As this change was being discussed in the community, I heard some residents express fears that switching to by-district elections would severely harm governance here in Cypress. There were suggestions that by-district elections will pit neighborhoods against each other, or that council members will only care about their own district rather than the city as a whole.
Personally, I’ve never believed that such dramatic changes were likely. There are still five council members. Most of the major issues that come before the council such as the budget, public safety, responding to litigation, etc. impact the whole community. And in my opinion, how well a city is governed depends primarily on the caliber of representatives who are elected.
If voters elect council members who are thoughtful, responsive, and focused on what is best for the community as a whole, the city government will be effective. If voters choose representatives who are overly partisan, beholden to special interests, or motivated more by self-service than public service, then city government will routinely fall short of expectations. In other words, it’s about the people we elect, not the method by which they are elected.
But, now that Cypress has transitioned to by-district elections, there is one thing I want to make abundantly clear—no matter where you live in Cypress, I am here to serve you. I was elected at-large in 2022 and I will continue to serve at-large until 2026. If I am elected in District 1 after that, I will still do my best to assist any Cypress resident, anywhere in the city. So if you have a question or concern about something in your neighborhood like an intersection that seems unsafe, or a park that needs maintenance, please don’t hesitate to contact me, even if you don’t live in District 1.
Don’t get me wrong, I love working with residents in District 1. That’s where I live. That’s where I take my kids on walks. That’s where my son attends school. That’s the area of Cypress I know best, and I have a natural desire to make sure that every neighborhood, street, and park in the district is safe and high quality.
But I want that for every neighborhood in Cypress, and frankly it’s that aspect of being a city council member—addressing residents’ concerns—that I most enjoy. Having served for about eighteen months now, I’m extremely grateful to be a Cypress City Council Member, but the job is not without its frustrations.
I am not a particularly partisan person, and I consider myself a problem-solver above all else. But in today’s political environment, being an elected official requires dealing with unnecessary drama, personal attacks, and false accusations. As someone who truly wants to focus on issues of substance, and ideas to improve our community, the aforementioned distractions are an unfortunate part of the job.
The reason I love constituent service is because it doesn’t involve any of that nonsense. When I meet a resident to discuss traffic safety concerns in their neighborhood, our political party affiliation is irrelevant. They’ve reached out to me as someone who may be able to help address their concern. I’m there to listen and figure out what I can do to help. There’s a simplicity to it that connects to the heart of what it means to be a public servant.
In many cases, I am able to work directly with our city staff to solve the problem. I recently spoke with a resident in a senior living community who told me that cars were parking so close to their driveway that it impaired their line of sight when they exited. After speaking with a member of our public works team, we are on track to paint a section of the curb red and improve line of sight so that residents can more safely enter and exit their homes.
A couple months ago another resident (okay, it was my wife Courtney) told me about a picnic table at Veteran’s Park that was in bad shape. I brought it up with our city manager and within a week the table was refurbished, repainted, and ready to go. These types of changes may sound small, but they add up to a higher quality of life in Cypress. If I can help one family have a better afternoon, or prevent one accident at an intersection, it’s well worth the effort.
So in the future, if you have a question or concern about anything in Cypress, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at dburke@cypressca.org. No matter where you live in the city, I’m here to help, and I look forward to hearing from you.
