Submitted by Brian Wilson

Ernie Villegas, former Mayor and Fillmore City Council Member came to a recent Fillmore Lions Club meeting to talk about something called Destination Fillmore - Downtown Revitalization. Villegas is the Special Projects Manager for the city.

He said, “My focus is on establishing partnerships with service organizations, non-profits, businesses and the city, so we can become more successful on our events and projects. I truly believe, if we can organize our efforts we will be able to utilize ore of our community volunteers to make a profound difference, not to mention a true ownership for each individual.”

In a paper he handed out Villegas noted that it appears there has been a lack of coordination between organizations, the city and the public. As a result, there have been many lost opportunities to market, coordinate and manage some of the downtown events.

Destination Fillmore objectives include creating a vibrant downtown with a wide spectrum of community, cultural and civic activities that represent the character of the downtown and the local community.

Villegas is President of a new non-Profit group called Fillmore Association of Businesses (FAB).

Their stated Mission:
“We are an association of downtown business owners, managers and property owners working together to bring innovative ideas and events to promote a sustainable, energized, and creative environment for attracting, tourism, families, businesses and community members to Downtown Fillmore now and in the future. Business retention, expansion, and attraction are keys to our success.”

The FAB Vision Statement:
“We strive to be community champions to promote and support downtown Fillmore in ways that will encourage the balance of growth, prosperity and culture while maintaining business and historical significance that attract all ages of people to a vibrant Fillmore downtown destination.”