When our current President, Angie Conner, asked me to write my first President’s Letter for CHNA, I wasn’t sure what to say. I’m honored to serve the neighborhood in this way, of course. I say this genuinely. I will admit that I was hesitant to join the board, but as I have begun to meet other volunteers, I have gotten really excited for the coming year.
My husband, Dean Jansen, and I met in San Francisco in 1994, where we both lived at the time. In subsequent years, we moved between the east and west coasts of the US, where we have had the opportunity to live in some great places together like San Diego, New York, and Los Angeles. In 2003, we moved to St. Petersburg for the first time, sight unseen, and I began my first public sector job working for the City of St. Petersburg – and I loved it! I have also worked for the City of New York and the City of Santa Monica, California.
When Dean and I decided to leave the Los Angeles area, we both agreed that St. Pete was the place we had loved most out of all the cities we had lived in over the years. It was the people and the sense of community that drew us back. We returned to St. Petersburg in November 2019 and moved into our home here in Crescent Heights on December 31, 2019. Just in time for Covid!
We haven’t looked back once. We love being here and have made some wonderful new friends right here in Crescent Heights. We couldn’t have asked to land in a better place.
As for my role as a board member of CHNA, I believe that it’s
my job to fulfill the goals of the association based on what we collectively want as residents. As President, I hope to increase communication with City staff and continue building on the prior board’s work to facilitate contact and feedback with residents.
As I write this, I’m hopeful we will have a great year in 2022 and that we will continue to get back to “normal,” with both the great annual neighborhood events everyone has come to enjoy and with our ever-creative and fun neighborhood association meetings.
Thank you for this opportunity.
It’s always a great day in Crescent Heights!
Sal Valles
Sal Valles
CHNA President