LOCAL ELECTIONS CITY COUNCIL : 5 Newcomers in Race for 3 Agoura Seats

Louise Rishoff, a two-term City Council member, observed that political campaigns in this affluent suburban city are always “lively events,” and this year is no different as five newcomers battle for three open council seats.

The candidates in Tuesday’s City Council election are divided into two camps. One includes three candidates backed by a small but powerful group of businesses opposed to a proposed regulation that would prohibit pole signs along the Ventura Freeway corridor. The other side includes one incumbent and two candidates who are relying on past experience to illustrate their abilities to serve in public office.

Lyle Michelson, Steve Soelberg and Paul (Gary) Mueller share campaign signs and literature, and have the backing of the Concerned Tax Contributors, the driving political and financial force behind a ballot initiative that would allow the use of pole signs for advertising.

The campaign committee has collected nearly $100,000 to battle an anti-pole sign initiative on the ballot. Most of the corporate contributors also have made the $250 maximum contribution to Michelson, Mueller and Soelberg.

Three billboards along the westbound side of the Ventura Freeway corridor owned by a local businessman also have been used by the slate, but there has been no disclosure of cost or in-kind contribution in campaign spending statements, city officials said.

Mueller is running for a third time “to change the direction and mentality of the council that runs this city,” he said. Mueller’s slate wants to build more athletic fields and beef up police patrols in the city, he said.

Running mate Soelberg, a 49-year-old banker, favors a growth plan for all undeveloped areas inside the city, and criticizes deficit spending by the council, which has helped shrink city reserves from $5 million to about $700,000, he said. Soelberg served on the city’s Planning Commission for eight years.

Fran Pavley, 40, the only incumbent in the race, says she is counting on her track record as a council member for the last eight years to carry her to office for another term. The upcoming election pits grass-roots candidates against big-business interests, she said.

“Eleven years ago, when we incorporated, part of the reason was to have local control so we could decide the fate of our city,” Pavley said. “What frightens me the most is that we would be returning to how things were before, where outside special interests made our decisions for us,” she said.

Ed Corridori, 50, a Westlake Village print shop owner, said his decision to run for public office is an outgrowth of his community-based work. He wants to fill the role of outgoing councilman Ed Kurtz, who bridged the gap between residential and business interests in the city, he said.

Denis Weber, a 50-year-old bank vice president, spent a recent afternoon walking precincts in door-to-door campaigning. The first-time candidate has the support of Rishoff and says he also seeks to strike a balance between business and resident interests.

Pavley, Corridori and Weber have the endorsement of the Homeowners for Agoura Hills, a campaign committee.