Former interim Council member will be looking for a spot in April’s election.

TimBen Boydston, Executive Director of the Canyon Theatre Guild and community advocate, has officially decided to enter the race for Santa Clarita City Council.

Boydston held a temporary seat on the City Council through most of 2007 and part of 2008 after he was appointed by the Council to fill the vacancy created when Cameron Smyth was elected to the state Assembly.

When he accepted the position, he vowed not to run in the 2008 election. That promise was kept, and now Boydston says he would like to resume his service.

“There are a lot of citizens who asked me to [run for Council],” Boydston told KHTS. “While I was on the Council, I really enjoyed being in the position to help people.”

He says that he can call upon his history in the area.

“I grew up in Santa Clarita,” he said, noting that he attended schools in the Sulphur Springs School District, Canyon High and College of the Canyons. “I have seen this area change dramatically, and I’ve seen a lot of good things happen since we became a City. But there are a few challenges that have come up over the years.”

Boydston says that of primary concern is traffic in the area.

“Is the traffic worse than when you moved here?” Boydston mused. “I’ve gotten the same answer from everyone I’ve talked to. 100 percent unequivocally say ‘yes it is.’ I think that traffic is problematic because it is indicative of planning issues that need to be addressed.”

Boydston may perhaps be best known for his outspoken opposition to several aspects of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital expansion plan. During his time on the Council he frequently questioned the plan’s impacts on traffic, parking and development standards. The Council officially approved the plan (after many revisions) in November 2008; several months after Boydston’s temporary term expired. Council member Bob Kellar was the lone dissenter in the vote.

Since his time on the Council ended, Boydston has spoken before Council as a private citizen and as a member of the group Santa Clarita Neighborhood Coalition.

Three seats are up in the April 13 City Council election. Incumbents Frank Ferry, Marsha McLean and Laurene Weste have all announced that they will be running for re-election.