ELECTIONS / SIMI VALLEY CITY COUNCIL : 7 Compete for the Spotlight in Quest for 2 Seats : Campaign: One incumbent and six challengers are concocting creative ways to grab attention in a race where all hold similar positions on the major issues.

Most days, Simi Valley’s former police chief trots through quiet city streets on horseback.

A former Chamber of Commerce president wanders around neighborhoods, ringing door bells of perfect strangers.

And a planning commissioner is handing out thousands of POGs imprinted with his name.

Chalk it all up to politics, as seven candidates compete for two seats on the Simi Valley City Council. One incumbent and six challengers are concocting creative ways to grab public attention in a race among candidates holding similar positions on the major issues facing the city.

“The issues are pretty clear, and people are pretty happy with the way the city is being run,” said Mayor Greg Stratton, who is running unopposed for a fifth term, except for a teen-age write-in candidate.

Central to each council candidate’s campaign platform are continuation of Simi Valley’s status as one of the safest cities of its size in the nation, construction of a bigger, better police station and aggressive efforts to bring new businesses and jobs to town.

“Generally, people just want us to continue in the direction we’ve been going,” Stratton said. “That seems to be what most of the candidates have in mind.”

Indeed, ever so mindful of their similar perspectives on the issues, the council contenders are focusing on the benefits their own personal experience would bring to City Hall.

Sandi Webb, a political novice when first elected to the council four years ago, says she has gained valuable lessons that will make her a more effective lawmaker in a second term. Webb, the only elected Libertarian in Ventura County, is also the only woman running for council.

Former Police Chief Lindsey Paul Miller promises he’ll bring an insider’s expertise to the job, while insurance consultant and Planning Commissioner Dean F. Kunicki boasts of his hundreds of hours of community service.

Michael S. McCaffrey, an insurance underwriter and former Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce president, says he has an inside line on the needs of businesses that will help him attract corporations and tax dollars to the city.

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Using the opposite approach, Ernest W. Federer, an administrator at a psychiatric hospital, is running as an outsider. He said his lack of connection to the city’s political and business communities makes him the perfect person to represent the average Simi Valley resident.

Joseph R. Vesalga, who recently ran for mayor of Los Angeles, views himself as an expert on what Simi Valley should not do, if it wants to avoid becoming another San Fernando Valley.

And salesman Douglas R. Dubin, the youngest candidate for council, at age 27, promises to make his youthfulness an asset by urging the city to become more accessible to younger residents.

Yet Republican activist Steve Frank and others involved in local politics believe that without a burning issue the candidates will have a tough time capturing the voters’ interest.

“It’s a big yawner,” said Frank, who unsuccessfully challenged Stratton for mayor two years ago. “There’s nothing really interesting going on, so people have turned their attention elsewhere. There may be a hundred people, total, who are paying attention to this race.”

Councilwoman Judy Mikels, who opted to run for county supervisor instead of seeking a second term on the council, sympathized with the challenge facing those candidates trying to take her place.

“The city is in a position where luckily there aren’t many issues,” Mikels said. “But that makes it difficult to separate yourself from the pack. It’s easier when there’s some big issue you can take hold of and oppose or support.”

In past years, development has been a major issue, with candidates staking out positions on an acceptable rate of growth in the city.

But the candidates are paying little attention to the issue this election season.

“Growth is not a big issue because the economy is down and there isn’t much development going on,” Stratton said. “That’s the issue that usually pops up during elections. But there’s so little happening right now that it’s just not an issue.”

Nor have the candidates done much opponent-bashing, another device popular in past city elections.

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Challengers may have learned from the 1992 election that attacking incumbents is not a winning strategy, Stratton said.

In that race, voters reelected Stratton mayor over four challengers. They also chose to fill two open council seats with incumbent Councilman Bill Davis and newcomer Barbara Williamson, who ran on a pro-council platform.

“It shows the public is pretty happy with what the council is doing,” Stratton said. “Also having an open seat makes it easier not to be critical. You don’t have to attack anybody on the council to have a shot at getting elected.”

The only negative campaigning has come from the Police Officer’s Assn., which is endorsing Webb and McCaffrey and urging voters not to support Miller.

Sgt. Ron Lompart, vice president of the association, said the union takes issue with Miller’s “safe city” campaign slogan.

“Paul Miller is taking credit for Simi Valley’s status as a safe city, and that is false,” Lompart said. “Credit cannot be applied to a single individual.”

Miller defended his campaign, saying he is not taking full credit for the city’s low-crime record, but only pledging to work to keep it safe.

Fearing their campaigns lack political spice, the candidates are plotting attention-getting tactics to perk up voter interest.

Shunning the traditional political buttons and bumper stickers, Kunicki is handing out campaign POGs, hoping youngsters will take the cardboard milk caps home and leave them in their parents’ view.

“I have all these kids following me around, it’s unbelievable,” Kunicki said. “I feel like the Pied Piper.”

Miller has churned out a steady flow of news releases touting his campaign happenings, including a third-place prize at Simi Valley Days for his “safe city” chili.

Last week, the former Chief Miller began trotting through the city’s Bridle Path neighborhood on horseback, old-fashioned police style, handing out lawn signs and brochures to residents observing the spectacle.

Federer wanted to take the horse theme one step further, with a bucking bronco ride in the Simi Valley Days rodeo. But cooler heads prevailed. “I was really bummed,” he said. “They said you need to be a professional.”

Vesalga, who had hoped to spend many hours canvassing door-to-door, recently suffered a cracked rib after he tackled a graffiti vandal who was spray-painting a fence near his home.

“It’s really slowed me down,” he said. “It sort of makes you wonder how safe this city really is.”

Webb, who grabbed headlines in her first campaign by canvassing precincts on roller skates, won’t be repeating the performance.

Tendinitis of the heel will slow her down during the campaign. She plans instead to plant herself at a booth in front of the city’s Target and K mart stores.

“I covered a lot of ground on skates,” Webb said. “Now people know me, so they may be more willing to come up and talk to me than before.”

Webb said she plans to run commercials on cable television, a strategy many say helped her win the last election.

After financing the 1990 race largely with her own money, Webb has pledged to hold enough fund-raisers and sell enough $10 T-shirts that she won’t be forced to dip into her personal bank account to pay for the campaign.

To achieve that goal, Webb is pressing her supporters to give generously. She and Mikels, who has endorsed her, have joined together to host a cocktail party, charging $250 a head and splitting the take.

McCaffrey hopes to match Webb’s money-raising success with a $125-per-person reception at the Clarion Hotel on Sept. 28.

“Unfortunately, the reality is it costs money to get your message out to the voters,” he said.

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Kunicki, who said he plans to spend as much as $35,000, is planning a series of Monday night football fund-raisers and an afternoon reception on Oct. 8 sponsored by Councilman Bill Davis.

On the other end of the spectrum, Miller threw a $20-per-plate barbecue and barn dance and is planning several other low-priced events.

“I don’t believe in jacking up the price real high and getting a few people,” Miller said. “I’d rather keep the cost down and get a lot of people to come.”

Some of the candidates scoff at the notion of any sort of fund raising.

Vesalga, who says voters are angry with politicians who spend big bucks to run for office, plans to keep his campaign budget under $2,000.

Dubin says he will fuel his campaign almost entirely with volunteers. He expects to spend only about $500 from his own pocket.

“We have raised none and we expect to raise none,” Dubin said. “We don’t think spending large quantities of other people’s money is in the best interests of the community.”

Simi Valley City Council

Seven candidates, including one incumbent, are running for two council seats. Safety and the economy top the list of concerns, with most candidates favoring plans for a new police station and increased efforts to lure new businesses to town.

Douglas K. Dubin

Age: 27

Occupation: salesman

Education: associate degree in business administration from Pierce College, attended business classes at Cal State Northridge and law enforcement classes at Moorpark College

Background: In addition to working part time for his father’s Woodland Hills distribution company, Dubin is a frequent contestant on cable television game shows including “Free-for-All,” “Shop ‘Til You Drop” and “Gonzo Games.” A four-year resident of Simi Valley’s Wood Ranch housing tract, Dubin helped launch a newsletter for the Village on the Green Homeowners Assn.

Issues: As the youngest candidate, Dubin is appealing to voters under 35 with a promise of bringing a fresh perspective to City Hall. He wants to speed up repairs on buildings and roads damaged in the Jan. 17 earthquake and persuade businesses to redevelop abandoned commercial space before building new developments. Dubin also opposes any mixed-use construction projects until all existing buildings are occupied.

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Ernest W. Federer

Age: 28

Occupation: administrator at psychiatric hospital

Education: bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Lael University in Missouri; now working toward doctorate in clinical psychology at the California Graduate Institute in Los Angeles

Background: Federer, who moved to Simi Valley from Pittsburgh six years ago, came in fourth out of 13 candidates in the 1992 Simi Valley council race. He helped organize residents in five of the city’s mobile home parks to keep rents down and improve services. He served as a Marine Corps intelligence specialist during the Persian Gulf War.

Issues: Federer calls for tougher penalties for juvenile curfew offenders and paramedic training for county firefighters. He also wants to extend the city’s growth-control ordinance. He vehemently opposes low-income housing and mixed-use developments. Federer is also against most development on the hillsides above the city, although he is undecided on plans for a regional mall in the hills on the north side of the city.

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Dean F. Kunicki

Age: 49

Occupation: insurance consultant

Education: attended business classes at Pasadena Junior College and Glendale City College

Background: Kunicki was appointed by Councilman Bill Davis to the city’s Planning Commission, where he is in the middle of a four-year term. A 16-year Simi Valley resident, Kunicki is chairman of the Simi Valley chapter of the American Red Cross and has served on the boards of the Rancho Simi Foundation, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, the Cultural Arts Committee and the Simi Valley Education Foundation. He has also served on two neighborhood councils, founded a Neighborhood Watch program and helped draft laws on drug paraphernalia and the city’s water rate structure. Kunicki ran for council once before, in 1982, coming in ninth out of 17 candidates.

Issues: Kunicki wants to improve Simi Valley’s economy by luring commercial and industrial development to the city. Instead of relying on city staff to woo businesses, Kunicki would contact corporations and urge them to move to Simi Valley. He wants to expand the role of the city’s four neighborhood councils in developing city policy.

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Michael S. McCaffrey

Age: 35

Occupation: self-employed insurance underwriter

Education: bachelor’s degree in political science from Cal State Northridge

Background: A 10-year Simi Valley resident, McCaffrey served a year as president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on a neighborhood council, city transportation planning agency and the Simi Valley Historical Society. During college, McCaffrey worked as an intern for then-Assemblyman Sam Farr (D-Carmel), known for his advocacy of high-technology jobs and environmental protection.

Issues: McCaffrey wants to boost the city’s image with an aggressive marketing campaign. His main goal is to attract more high-tech industry to Simi Valley to boost the city’s tax base and its population of young professionals. McCaffrey is willing to consider mixed-use projects if they receive widespread community support. He also wants to improve the city’s Police Department and its schools.

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Lindsey Paul Miller

Age: 55

Occupation: retired police chief

Education: bachelor’s degree in religion from UCLA, attended classes at California Baptist Theological Seminary, master’s degree in public communication from Pepperdine University.

Background: Miller served as chief of the Simi Valley Police Department for 12 years. During his tenure, the city was rated four years in a row as one of the safest of its size in the country. Miller is widely recognized as helping turn the Police Department from a troubled agency mired in lawsuits and allegations of brutality into a highly respected police force. Before coming to Simi Valley, Miller briefly studied to become a Presbyterian minister and then switched careers, serving for 20 years as an officer in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Issues: Miller’s campaign platform focuses on public safety. An outspoken supporter of a proposed new police station, Miller would establish a new volunteer-driven crime prevention program. Miller opposes mixed-use development, which he considers a beacon for crime and other urban problems. Miller says his experience as a head of one of the city’s four major departments helps him understand the complexities of running a city.

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Joseph R. Vesalga

Age: 39

Occupation: computer operator

Education: took computer and accounting courses at Pierce College

Background: Vesalga has worked as a short-order cook, house painter, electrician and mechanic. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 1992, before moving to Simi Valley. He serves on a neighborhood council and is an alternate to the Ventura County Arts Advisory Board.

Issues: Vesalga supports construction of a new police station and the hiring of more police officers. He thinks the city should work to attract a developer to build a regional mall in the hills above the city. He also wants the city to make a big push to attract non-polluting businesses like health care agencies and insurance companies.

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Sandi Webb

Age: 46

Occupation: councilwoman, owner of a building design and drafting service

Education: associate of arts degree from San Bernardino Valley College

Background: In an upset win, Webb was elected to the council in 1990 with virtually no political experience. Webb is a member of the Libertarian Party. A member of the National Rifle Assn., Webb has worked hard to gain approval for a controversial gun range. She has pressed her peers to support funding and construction of a new police station without raising taxes.

Issues: Webb continues to support construction of a new police station. Concerned about the bumps and cracks on some of the city’s streets, Webb says she wants to look for ways to get more funding for road repairs. She also hopes to ease the application process for businesses seeking permits for construction and expansion.