COUNTYWIDE : Boy Scouts Select New Council Chief

A Northern California official with two decades of Scouting experience has been chosen to oversee the Ventura County Council of the Boy Scouts.

Dave Graska recently transferred from Marysville to head the local council, which includes 7,900 youths and 3,000 adults. The Boy Scout program includes Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, varsity Scouting and co-ed Explorer posts.

Graska’s job includes organizing fund-raising for the group, which has an annual budget of $850,000, 14% of which is provided by United Way.

Besides raising money, Graska, 47, said his goals include increasing the number of second- through fifth-grade children in the in-school Scouting program. Presently, 650 children are active in the program, which is offered mainly in low-income areas. If funding is available, the program has the potential of reaching 1,000 children within a couple of years, Graska said.

“I’ll be working in the community with the local leadership,” he said. “My main job is to see that the council is financially strong.”

Graska, a native of Oshkosh, Wis., and a former high school teacher in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, began working in Scouting in 1970. He has held positions in Los Angeles and Santa Maria as well as Yuma, Ariz., and Eugene, Ore. He served the past five years as Scout executive in Marysville.

Graska, who lives in Camarillo, replaces Hollis R. Spindle, who retired after 22 years.