THOUSAND OAKS : Candidate Hopes for Name Recognition

When he announced plans to run for Thousand Oaks City Council, Michael V. Friedman quickly distinguished himself from other candidates.

He admitted flat-out that he doesn’t expect to win.

“I just want to get my name out there,” Friedman said recently. “Then perhaps another two or three years down the road, I’ll try again.”

For now, though, Friedman said he intends to run an “old-fashioned, hand-shaking” kind of campaign, spending no more than $5,000. And every cent he spends will be his own. Friedman has asked any potential backers to contribute money to local charities rather than his campaign.

As he talks to voters during the next few months, Friedman said he will focus on family issues, such as crossing guards and children’s programming at the Civic Arts Plaza. He and his wife have two children, a 5-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, and are expecting a baby in August.

“I don’t think people of our generation are represented up there (on the council),” said Friedman, who has spent all of his 27 years in Thousand Oaks. “They’ve just got a bunch of old fogies up there. I hope to give things a bit of a Generation X perspective.”

On other issues, Friedman described himself as pro-business and anti-red tape, but said he would not like to see much more development. “I kind of like it the way it is,” he said.