ELECTIONS / THOUSAND OAKS CITY COUNCIL : Voters Press 16 Candidates to Choose Sides

They liken their current city leaders to a pack of kids squabbling in a sandbox, or a bunch of jokers squandering tax dollars, or a passel of wonks drafting nit-picky rules.

Yet though they bash them, they can’t wait to join them.

Fourteen challengers have set their sights on the much-maligned Thousand Oaks City Council this year. They will square off against incumbents Judy Lazar and Elois Zeanah in November as they vie for three open seats, including one left vacant by Mayor Alex Fiore’s retirement.

With campaigning that began even before the traditional Labor Day kickoff, the challengers are cooking up snappy slogans and tossing around political promises.

But no matter how many initiatives they propose, voters seem to nag them with one vexing question: Which side are you on?

After two years of watching the council split 3 to 2 on most major issues, voters seem to expect the candidates to line up behind one camp or another. And so they demand: Do you agree with the slow-growth views of Zeanah and Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski? Or do you support the more pro-development attitude of Fiore, Lazar and Councilman Frank Schillo?

Which side are you on?

Answers depend on campaign strategy.

Roughly half the candidates have chosen to hitch themselves to either the “3-side” or the “2-side.” The rest hope to convince voters that they’re true independents.

Lining up with the slow-growth faction are: David Hare, an environmental services manager for the city of West Hollywood; M. Ali Issari, a retired filmmaker who has been endorsed by Zeanah, and Irving Wasserman, who was appointed to the Planning Commission by Zeanah four years ago.

Candidates in the other camp include: Marshall Dixon, a retired businessman who strongly defends developers’ rights to build on their property; Jeannette Scovill, a public-access television producer and environmental activist, and Bill Williams, a mortgage broker who has criticized Zeanah and Zukowski as “reactionary.”

Reluctant to be pinned down, the remaining candidates seek to portray themselves as neutral--or at least unpredictable in their allegiances: dentist Gregory Cole, firefighter Andy Fox, finance manager Michael V. Friedman, engineer and former Councilman Lee Laxdal, police Detective Michael Markey, real estate salesman Chuck Morsa, telecommunications salesman Ekbal Quidwai and mobile carwash owner Lance Winslow.

Even Lazar, who has sided with her pro-development colleagues on most issues, has tried to slough off labels. “If anything,” she said, “I’d like to be considered practical and reasonable. That means making adjustments, because you can’t have it all your way.”

That emphasis on negotiation and compromise is quickly becoming the most popular slogan in the campaign.

Nearly every candidate has endorsed an “anti-bickering” platform, promising to put an end to the personal attacks and vicious arguments that have come to characterize the televised council meetings.

“People ask, ‘What makes you think you won’t get embroiled in the same kind of controversy?’ ” said candidate Lee Laxdal, who served on the council from 1980 to 1989. “The answer is, you vote issues, not people, and you treat everyone with respect.”

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To back up his claims, Laxdal points to his nine years of service on an often-divided but rarely rancorous council. Similarly, former Planning Commission members Andy Fox and Greg Cole tout themselves as experienced peacemakers with a proven ability to keep debates focused on the issues.

“You can’t just rush off and say, ‘No,’ and you can’t just rush off and say, ‘Yes,’ ” Cole said. “That’s the problem with the current council--they don’t listen.”

The fourth challenger with government experience, Planning Commissioner Irving Wasserman, also describes himself as a good negotiator and an all-around “people person.”

While Cole, Dixon, Fox, Laxdal and Wasserman emphasize their experience within the Thousand Oaks bureaucracy, their foes seek support by positioning themselves as complete outsiders, with no allegiances and no agendas.

“I’m hearing that voters would like to have young, new people on the council,” said Michael Friedman, who’s trying to spin his obscurity into an advantage.

At age 27, Friedman is the youngest council candidate; David Hare and Lance Winslow are also under 30. Three senior citizens are running as well: Dixon recently turned 69, and both Issari and Wasserman are 72.

Even with such wide age gaps and diverse backgrounds, the candidates worry that voters will find it tough to pick them from the crowded field.

To ensure they stand out in voters’ minds, most candidates plan on a lot of old-fashioned handshaking. Walking door to door, precinct by precinct, they will hand out brochures and flash sincere smiles. “I’ve got holes in my shoes already,” said Winslow, who’s been canvassing three hours a day.

New shoe leather, however, will be a minor expense compared to the campaign budgets of most candidates.

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce President Steve Rubenstein estimates that it will take at least $25,000 to win election.

Even the incumbents say they expect to spend heavily. Although both Lazar and Zeanah enjoy widespread name recognition, they’re not counting on automatic reelection. They well remember how voters booted out incumbents Bob Lewis in 1992 and Larry Horner in 1990.

“I know this is going to be a hard-waged campaign,” Zeanah said. “I’m going to put all the energy I have into this election effort.”

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Anticipating the high costs, several candidates began amassing war chests months ago and are continuing to round up cash.

Most will continue to host the traditional, fund-raising barbecues, picnics and cocktail parties at $10 to $25 a plate. But Andy Fox, gunning for heftier contributions, has organized a golf tournament this fall with a $65 entry fee--and the lure of a free car for any player who makes a hole in one.

On the other end of the scale, Lance Winslow hopes residents will pledge a few pennies for every car he washes in the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall and every mile he bikes in a trek across California planned for this fall.

With such competition for dollars, some candidates have all but given up fund-raising. “I’m not counting on getting too much money,” Quidwai said, adding that he’s prepared to spend up to $15,000 from his own pocket.

The focus on money disappoints many candidates--but they know it’s vital. With 16 candidates, voters are bound to receive stacks of political mailers. Most likely, they’ll pull out the glossiest, slickest brochures to thumb through first.

“I would hope voters would be more impressed with the content of the message than the delivery,” Marshall Dixon said. “But we realize a lot of voters may not want to sift through it all. We’re all rolling the dice, wondering what we can say to push the hot button.”

Like political hopefuls nationwide, Thousand Oaks candidates have settled on two hot buttons: crime and jobs.

Firefighter Fox and Police Detective Michael Markey hope to capitalize on widespread concern about crime by emphasizing their years of dedication to public safety. “The fact that I’m a firefighter seems to be very important to people because I’ve already earned the public trust,” Fox said.

Markey agreed: “I’m already a public servant. I’m not a politician.”

In his platform, Markey suggests expanding intervention programs for at-risk youths, including trying to scare them into straight living by giving them tours of jail cells.

Fox calls for setting up senior citizen patrols, enlisting reserve officers to help overworked sheriff’s deputies and establishing a public safety committee to evaluate the city’s needs.

Other candidates also have proposed measures to keep Thousand Oaks safe.

Lance Winslow has already set up a mobile crime watch, enlisting business people who drive around the city to report suspicious activity. Jeannette Scovill hopes to hold workshops to teach residents crime prevention tips. And Michael Friedman would donate his $9,180-a-year council salary to a special public safety fund.

As for the economy, Bill Williams would like to lure large, non-polluting companies to Thousand Oaks by offering financial incentives. And David Hare would seek to streamline government by giving bonuses to city employees who propose cost-saving strategies.

Although most candidates have concentrated on crime, jobs and growth issues, a few have tried to distinguish themselves with offbeat proposals.

Chuck Morsa, for example, would like to set up a tent city for homeless people on Fireworks Hill in the center of town. And M. Ali Issari would draft a Residents’ Bill of Rights, in which politicians would pledge to uphold the quality of life in Thousand Oaks.

“I want a document that protects residents’ rights and developers’ rights and establishes the city’s responsibility to protect our neighborhoods, our environment and our lifestyle,” Issari said.

Just how to go about protecting the Thousand Oaks lifestyle could become a topic of bitter debate, depending on the makeup of the next council.

Led by Zeanah, the slow-growth faction aims to stop most development, especially dense affordable-housing projects and large shopping centers. They want Thousand Oaks to stay as it is, and they’re desperate to preserve the city’s “semirural” atmosphere.

The pro-development forces, however, argue that the city cannot stand still without suffering economically. Orderly development will bring in the revenue needed to maintain city services, they say. Without some growth, they argue, the city will have to cut back on everything from library services to police protection.

With three seats up for grabs, the upcoming election will turn into a showdown between these two powerful factions.

Already, the mudslinging has started.

“This is a very crucial election,” Chamber President Rubenstein said. “There are emotional people (running for election), fanatics, people who want nothing in their back yards. But I think the good honest people in this community . . . will come forward and overpower the fanatics.”

Those slow-growth “fanatics,” naturally, take quite the opposite view.

“There are hundreds of livid Newbury Park residents who are going to work very hard,” activist Michelle Koetke said. “It’s time we had a council that listens to the residents, a council that wasn’t owned and controlled by the same interests that have run this city for years--the big-money interests.”

Talk about ousting the political Establishment alarms Mayor Fiore, who himself has been a fixture of city government for three decades.

“The key issue in this election,” he said “is the retention or loss of our excellent staff,” including the city manager, city attorney, city clerk and department heads. “I’m afraid if the wrong mix gets on (the council) we might lose all of them.”

Eager to keep the council majority in hands he considers stable, Fiore has strongly endorsed Lazar and has praised a handful of like-minded candidates, including Cole, Dixon, Fox and Laxdal.

But the slow-growth advocates have put forth their own unofficial slate: Hare, Issari and Zeanah. And they’re just as determined to win.

“What you’re seeing are the battle lines in this town,” Koetke said. “It’s war.”

Thousand Oaks City Council

Sixteen candidates, including two incumbents, are running for three council seats. The race pits slow-growth candidates against those who favor more development. Concern about rising crime and gang activity will also be among the key issues. Gregory Cole

Age: 43

Occupation: dentist

Education: bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from USC, doctor of dental surgery degree from USC School of Dentistry

Background: Cole spent three years on the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission from 1987 to 1989 and has represented the city as a trustee of the Ventura County Community College District since 1989. He has also repeatedly been elected to both the county’s Republican Central Committee and the state’s party organization. Cole has served on seven city committees, studying traffic, the General Plan, affordable housing and other issues.

Issues: Cole intends to emphasize his experience as a small-business owner for 15 years, his community involvement as a youth sports coach, and his concern for public safety. He supported a scaled-down version of the Dos Vientos project as a Planning Commission member, but says he is concerned that the dense development could disturb neighboring Broome Ranch parkland. He would like to set up more after-school recreation programs for teen-agers.

Marshall Dixon

Age: 69

Occupation: retired businessman

Education: attended business and marketing classes at Northwestern University

Background: The retired general manager of an Illinois auto firm, Dixon moved to Thousand Oaks five years ago. He has served as chairman of the board of the Oaknoll Homeowners Assn. and has sat on the administrative board of the United Methodist Church of Westlake Village. He served overseas in the Marine Corps for 3 1/2 years during World War II.

Issues: A pro-business candidate, Dixon attacks excessive regulation and considers the no-growth movement a usurpation of property rights. He wants to encourage moderate growth while sticking to city policies on ridgeline preservation and other development standards. Dixon says he would change the tenor of council meetings by ending the bickering and insisting on more decorum. He also calls for reinforcing the city’s police force.

Andy Fox

Age: 36

Occupation: Los Angeles city fire captain

Education: attended Pierce College and studied fire protection administration at Cal State Los Angeles

Background: Fox served on the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission from 1990 to 1993 and has also sat on the city’s housing issues committee and Arts Commission. He also served on the county supervisors’ citizen advisory panel.

Issues: Fox emphasizes public safety as his top priority. He wants to set up senior citizen patrols to help police officers spot crimes in progress. He would create a public safety committee to evaluate police services and community needs and report monthly to the council. Fox would also like to enlist reserves and cadets for foot patrols. On development issues, he calls for basing all land-use decisions strictly on city laws and the General Plan.

Michael V. Friedman

Age: 27

Occupation: co-owner of a general finance firm

Education: attended classes at Moorpark College and Santa Barbara City College

Background: A Thousand Oaks native, Friedman emphasizes his long ties with the city. He co-founded Financial Trust eight years ago and serves as its business manager.

Issues: Friedman has proposed abolishing council members’ salaries and using the money to boost public safety budgets. He would like to focus on family issues, such as funding crossing guards, establishing more reading programs at the library and enhancing children’s programming at the Civic Arts Plaza. Friedman also calls for installing street lights and sidewalks throughout Thousand Oaks, and sprucing up the central city neighborhood.

David Hare

Age: 28

Occupation: environmental services and city operations manager for West Hollywood

Education: bachelor’s degree in political economics, University of San Diego

Background: Hare grew up in Ventura County and settled in Thousand Oaks three years ago. He worked as a consultant in San Diego developing business promotion programs, then joined West Hollywood’s government in 1991. He manages recycling, water, trash disposal, street sweeping and other programs for the city of 36,000.

Issues: Hare is running on a slow-growth, pro-environment platform, backed by some activists from the group Residents to Preserve Newbury Park. He would like to raise revenue for open space acquisition by streamlining city government and possibly imposing higher franchise fees on utilities and trash haulers. Hare suggests giving city employees bonuses for proposing cost-saving ideas.

M. Ali Issari

Age: 72

Occupation: retired filmmaker and professor

Education: bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Tehran, master’s degree in cinema and doctorate in communications from USC

Background: Born in Iran, Issari came to the United States 32 years ago. He taught filmmaking for 12 years at Michigan State University, while producing several hundred documentary and educational films. Since moving to Thousand Oaks in 1988, he has served on the city’s cable TV access committee and has called for more public-access educational programming.

Issues: Issari has been endorsed by Councilwoman Elois Zeanah and shares her slow-growth philosophy. He would like to write a Residents’ Bill of Rights spelling out the city’s responsibility to protect neighborhoods, the environment and overall quality of life. He wants to establish neighborhood committees to advise the council on land-use issues. He also hopes to fight crime with more police foot and bike patrols, and more after-school programs for youths.

Lee Laxdal

Age: 60

Occupation: engineer

Education: bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Lewis & Clark College, master’s degree in math from Oregon State College

Background: Laxdal served nine years on the Thousand Oaks City Council before leaving in 1989 to take a job in Australia. Although he authored the city’s slow-growth ordinance, he has supported some major developments, including the Dos Vientos project (which he voted for after unsuccessfully urging his colleagues to reduce the number of homes). Laxdal also backed the Civic Arts Plaza.

Issues: Laxdal hopes to create a joint-powers district, pulling together the police, city, schools and parks to fight crime. He also wants to hold workshops to teach residents to crime-proof their homes, and he would like the city to subsidize security lights for low-income seniors. Laxdal is campaigning against political bickering, emphasizing the need for harmony on the council. He has called for regular informal town meetings between city officials and residents.

Judy Lazar

Age: 52

Occupation: councilwoman

Education: bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, Conn.

Background: Lazar was elected to the council in 1990, after nearly two decades of community work, including four years on the Planning Commission and five years at the helm of Senior Concerns. She has also served on the board of the American Assn. of University Women and has advised the school district as a member of various committees. Lazar represents the city in the Air Quality Management District and the Conejo Open Space Conservation Authority.

Issues: Lazar describes herself as a negotiator and lists several accomplishments of her first term, including: spearheading the move to acquire Broome Ranch as open space, developing community policing strategies for the Las Casitas neighborhood and designing a compromise Auto Mall sign. She hopes to focus a second term on creating a special city team to help small businesses, drafting a master plan for Thousand Oaks Boulevard and building more community sports fields. Lazar also would work to ensure that the Civic Arts Plaza becomes financially self-supporting, requiring no city subsidies.

Michael Markey

Age: 39

Occupation: Compton homicide detective

Education: studied public administration at Pepperdine University

Background: Markey, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1990, has served on a city committee that distributes funds to social service groups. A Newbury Park resident since 1988, he has served on the Compton police force for 17 years, including a three-year stint as head of the officers union.

Issues: Markey plans to emphasize public safety during his campaign. He proposes expanding intervention programs for at-risk youths, including giving teen-agers tours of jail cells and introducing them to inmates to show them the consequences of committing crimes. He would also like to establish a job-training center, where employers could set up teaching facilities to train prospective hires.

Chuck Morsa

Age: 58

Occupation: self-employed real estate salesman

Education: high school diploma

Background: A Thousand Oaks resident for 26 years, Morsa has coached several local sports teams and was a member of the Optimists Club. Although never involved in local politics, he ran for governor of California in 1990 and for vice president of the United States in 1986, both times on the American Independent Party slate.

Issues: Morsa would like to create a tent city for homeless people on top of Fireworks Hill, and open the old City Hall at 401 Hillcrest Drive as a homeless shelter. A self-described “tax protester,” he plans to ask for a grand jury investigation of the city’s finances. Morsa objects to the Civic Arts Plaza and would like the city to spend more money fixing roads and setting up recreation programs, including a boxing club for youths. He would open each council meeting with a prayer.

Ekbal Quidwai

Age: 43

Occupation: self-employed salesman of telecommunication equipment

Education: bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Karachi University in Pakistan, bachelor’s in business management from Cal State Fullerton

Background: Quidwai has attended nearly every council meeting for the past three years, testifying on many topics. He says he spends 20 hours a week researching issues and writing letters to city officials and local newspapers. A Pakistan native, Quidwai moved to Newbury Park in 1979, and became a U.S. citizen in 1987.

Issues: Quidwai would like to see the city divided into political districts, with a directly elected mayor instead of a rotating council chairmanship. He has criticized the city’s plan to finance the Civic Arts Plaza with redevelopment money and internal loans. To bring in more money for the cultural center, he would aggressively market the adjacent land to a private developer. Quidwai would also abolish the $55 fee that non-residents must pay to use the Thousand Oaks Library.

Jeannette Scovill

Age: 48

Occupation: public-access television producer

Education: training as a facilitator from the Institute for Cultural Affairs

Background: Scovill says she has learned about social service, health care and economic issues through her stints on the Ventura County Commission for Women and the Council on Economic Vitality. She produces a weekly half-hour cable show called Focus on the Environment and has organized several Earth Day celebrations. She also helped put together symposiums to teach business owners about environmental practices, from energy conservation to recycling.

Issues: Scovill’s platform blends a pro-business stance with environmental activism. She aims for sustainable development: designing buildings to be taller, for example, so they take up less land. She would like to see art and theater schools built next to the Civic Arts Plaza so students could work with professionals in the cultural center. And she hopes to set up crime-prevention workshops for local workers.

Irving Wasserman

Age: 72

Occupation: Planning Commission member, retired executive

Education: studied business management at City College of New York

Background: Wasserman moved to Thousand Oaks in 1968 to manage a direct-mail record club with 350 employees. He has served on nine city committees, analyzing issues from cable television to crime prevention. Most recently, he has served as a planning commissioner for four years. Wasserman served in the Air Force for more than three years during World War II.

Issues: Appointed to the Planning Commission by Elois Zeanah, Wasserman has voted against most major developments. As a councilman, he would press for strict adherence to the city’s General Plan and would try to find money to buy more open space. He believes he could act as a negotiator on a divided council.

Bill Williams

Age: 49

Occupation: mortgage banker

Education: attended San Diego State College and Western State University College of Law

Background: A Thousand Oaks resident for 16 years, Williams works as a branch manager with the M-West Mortgage Corp. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force and is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Issues: Williams would like the city to offer financial incentives to attract more big businesses and create jobs. He thinks small businesses are treated fairly well, but plans to propose some reforms later in the campaign.

Lance Winslow

Age: 29

Occupation: owner of The Car Wash Guys

Education: attended business classes at Ventura and Oxnard community colleges

Background: Winslow founded his carwash business in 1990 and has opened franchises in several other states. He recently launched the Neighborhood Mobile Watch program, enlisting those who regularly drive through the city to call the police and report suspicious activity. Winslow has helped dozens of sports teams and charities with fund-raisers by donating his carwash service on weekends.

Issues: Winslow would like to cut regulations and red tape, especially for small businesses. He hopes to build a second city golf course to raise money for various programs, including a skateboard park to keep youngsters off the streets. He plans to set up a high-tech “information highway” with the Chamber of Commerce, which would allow all business owners to advertise and exchange information via computer links.

Elois Zeanah

Age: 52

Occupation: councilwoman

Education: attended Shelton State Business College in Mississippi

Background: Before winning election to the council in 1990, Zeanah founded the Conejo League of Homeowners to push her slow-growth philosophy. As a councilwoman, Zeanah voted against most major developments and affordable housing complexes. She also organized a crime symposium to draft a strategy for keeping Thousand Oaks safe, and pushed a proposal to allow directory signs for businesses in hard-to-see strip malls on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Issues: Zeanah will continue to campaign on her slow-growth platform. She is also calling for a lobbying law, which would require developers and their representatives to register with the city and report all meetings with city officials. Zeanah wants to strengthen the overcrowding ordinance she helped to draft and crack down on landlords who allow too many renters to live in a single dwelling. She also hopes to implement a stronger crime prevention program, based on the strategy drafted at this year’s communitywide symposium.