Meet Candidate Henderson: From Iowa, Lawyer, Republican : . . . and Rival Candidate Ottilie: From Iowa, Lawyer, Republican

As he campaigns for the San Diego City Council 6th District seat, candidate Bob Ottilie describes his childhood in idyllic terms, painting his formative years in a small Iowa town as having been something of a cross between “The Waltons” and “Leave it to Beaver.”

“I can’t think of a better place to grow up than Iowa, and especially in a small town in Iowa,” Ottilie says. “The nice thing about growing up in a small town is that you have a chance to excel in a number of areas. It’s not as competitive as big urban areas. It’s a nurturing environment that, as a young person, gives you a chance to build your confidence.”

Born in Oelwein in northeastern Iowa (1980 population: 7,564), Ottilie describes his own family as one in which “public service was taken for granted.” His father was a family physician, “a typical small-town doctor who does a little bit of everything . . . and is kind of a public figure in his own right.” His mother taught psychiatric nursing and was active in various church, social and charitable organizations.

The youngest of three children, Ottilie also participated in some of those community activities, as well as being active in student government. As a high school senior, Ottilie was student body president and valedictorian of his 200-member class.

“From a very early age, the idea of contributing and giving something back to the community was instilled in us,” the 32-year-old Ottilie said. “That idea took hold and never left.”

Brother Was Elected

Ottilie’s brother was recently elected to the Geneva, Ill., City Council, and his sister is head of a teachers’ political action committee in Sacramento. “So it’s kind of my turn to do something,” he said, laughing.

Ottilie attended Stanford University, where he majored in economics. He then enrolled at the University of Iowa law school, determined to pursue a career that he had been drawn to as a teen-ager while watching a television show called “The Young Lawyers.”

“The people in the show were young public defenders,” Ottilie recalled. “I’d always enjoyed debate, so that appealed to me. It wasn’t until I got in law school that I realized that many lawyers never see the inside of a courtroom.”

In 1979, Ottilie was a summer intern in the San Diego County district attorney’s office and liked the city so much that he transferred to the University of San Diego, where he received his law degree in 1980. That fall, he began working for a local law firm specializing in insurance and business litigation.

Since 1985, Ottilie has operated his own law firm, with a practice that includes divorce, personal injury and general litigation cases.

“I enjoy family law because you’re working with individuals who are much more emotionally involved in their cases than you usually find in business law,” Ottilie said. “In divorce cases, people want to be on the phone with you all the time. You try not to go up and down the roller coaster with them, and, if you do your job right, you can help them to not have such severe ups and downs.

“To me, it’s extremely satisfying, because you’re acting as a quasi-psychiatrist or counselor for people at a very disturbing time in their life.”

His family roots and college career figure prominently in Ottilie’s current community activity. He co-founded the Iowa Club of San Diego in 1984 and last year was awarded Stanford’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his fund-raising efforts. Ottilie also has served as chairman of Youth for Progress, a juvenile diversion program, and is an officer in a job-training program for high school students.

Having little leisure time, Ottilie, who lives in Clairemont, says that one of his major enjoyments is going out for dinner.

Like many local Republican activists in their 30s, Ottilie’s first political activity occurred in Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign. With his physician father concerned that President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society appeared to be moving toward socialized medicine, 9-year-old Ottilie walked precincts, handing out brochures for Goldwater and other candidates.

Since moving to San Diego, Ottilie has been active in numerous local GOP campaigns, including San Diego City Councilwoman Gloria McColl’s successful 1983 and 1985 campaigns and Dick Carlson’s losing 1984 mayoral race.

Ottilie also played a supporting role in the controversy surrounding one of San Diego’s most bitter recent political races--the 1982 43rd Congressional District contest.

While working for candidate Bill McColl (a relative of Councilwoman McColl), Ottilie registered to vote at a two-bedroom Carlsbad condominium rented by the McColls--a residence where 10 other people, including most of the McColl family, also had registered.

Ottilie, who said that he had initially intended to live at the condo--plans he dropped because of job demands--changed his registration after only two days, re-registering in Point Loma. Later, one of McColl’s primary opponents, the ultimate GOP nominee Johnnie Crean, characterized the episode as an effort to stuff the ballot box. The district attorney’s office, however, investigated the case and never filed charges.

For his first campaign for public office, Ottilie has adopted a tactic used by his brother in his successful Illinois campaign: using the slogan “It Oughta by Ottilie” to help voters learn how to pronounce his name.

“I’m not sure how well it’s working on the pronunciation,” Ottilie said. “But if the results are the same, I’ll be satisfied, no matter how people say my name.”

District 6

Next month, San Diegans will elect four new members of the San Diego City Council. These short profiles of 6th District contenders Bruce Henderson and Bob Ottilie are intended to help acquaint voters with the candidates’ personal backgrounds. Similar stories on the two finalists in each of the three other council races will follow before Election Day.