Mayor Fiore Gets Ready for Grand Finale

With scores of his fans applauding respectfully, veteran politician Alex Fiore launched his sixth term as mayor of Thousand Oaks on Tuesday, rotating back into the council’s leadership post for a final six-month stint.

As mayor, Fiore will preside over council debates on several hot topics this summer, including the Dos Vientos development in Newbury Park. But already, he’s looking past those public hearings to an event he has long dreamed about: October’s grand opening of the Civic Arts Plaza.

“I will be working toward a very successful grand opening, so the people can take comfort in knowing that the Civic Arts Plaza is not going to be any kind of a drain on the city,” Fiore, 68, said recently.

Because Fiore has long pressed for a cultural center, his fellow council members thought he should serve as mayor during the grand opening festivities. So they rearranged the rotation schedule, which traditionally boosts each council member to the mayor’s seat for a full year.

Councilwomen Judy Lazar and Elois Zeanah each gave up three months of their mayoral terms to make room for Fiore, who will cap his 30-year political career with the black-tie gala in late October.

When Fiore retires after the November election, Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski will take over the mayoral post.

“I think there’s a nice symmetry to having the longest-standing council member and the newest council member working together,” said Zukowski, a former teacher who entered politics for the first time in 1992.

On Tuesday, speaker after speaker praised Fiore for his long years of public service. The gruff-spoken politician, a retired vice president of finance at Rocketdyne, grinned broadly as his friends and colleagues complimented him.

Zeanah offered the first accolade when she suggested the Civic Arts Plaza be renamed the Alex Fiore Plaza.

“I would make such a motion,” she said, “but I’m afraid Alex and I couldn’t agree on the funding to change the wording on the directional signs.”

At that, Fiore flashed his widest smile and then shook Zeanah’s hand as he picked up the council’s wooden gavel and moved to the central dais.

In his first official action as mayor, Fiore established one of his goals: to keep the weekly council meetings short.

When the first speaker, Planning Commissioner Irving Wasserman, ran over his allotted five minutes, Fiore jokingly chided him. “Mr. Wasserman,” he said, “I would just like to say that you owe us a minute and a half.”

Amid the congratulatory speeches and praise for both Fiore and Zeanah, Councilman Frank Schillo offered the only discordant note.

“I’m saddened that little of substance has been accomplished in the last year. Many people have told me that they thought the city stood still for the last nine months,” Schillo said, as members of the audience booed and shouted “Shameful!” and “Uncalled-for!”

“We need to stop dealing in personalities and start dealing with issues,” Schillo said. “This council needs to stop playing politics, and I know the new mayor will keep us on track.”