City Must Hold Special Election for Council Seat : Thousand Oaks: Officials deadlock on whether to appoint a new member to replace Frank Schillo.

With city leaders hopelessly deadlocked, Thousand Oaks must hold a special election in June to fill a City Council seat left vacant this fall with Frank Schillo’s election to the county Board of Supervisors.

After hours of intense debate Tuesday evening, City Council members were unable to reach a consensus on how to fill the vacancy, splitting 2 to 2 on the decision that could ultimately affect the outcome on key development projects.

Dozens of Thousand Oaks residents pleaded with the City Council on Tuesday to fill the vacancy with an appointment, rather than a special election, which would cost the city $100,000 and threaten to revive the acrimony of this fall’s contest.

But others stepped forward to say that replacing Schillo without an election would leave residents without a say on a key swing vote who could decide some of the biggest development issues facing the city.

“The city spent $75,000 for the grand opening party for the Civic Arts Plaza,” resident Phyllis Evry said. “It spent $150,000 for the copper curtain hanging on the outside of this building. I feel we should be able to spend $100,000 for the voice of democracy.”

But about 300 residents signed a petition urging the City Council to appoint a new member. About 25 residents spoke in favor of the appointment Tuesday night.

They argued that too many important issues lie in front of the council to put off the decision. “Six months of a lame-duck council does us no good,” said Newbury Park resident Ron Thompson.

Former Councilman Bob Lewis, who came into office in a special election in 1989 after Councilman Lee Laxdal resigned in the middle of his term, said he favors an appointment. In this case, he said, a special election is not warranted because voters were aware that Schillo might be leaving.

“All informed voters knew that if Frank Schillo was elected to the Board of Supervisors, he would have to resign,” Lewis said. “You have an expression of the majority.

“I don’t feel we need to waste $100,000 on a special election,” said Bill Williams, who was a council candidate in November. “Let’s take the $100,000 and hire a new full-time policeman or fix some of the potholes around the city.”

The obvious choice for an appointment, many said, would have been police Detective Mike Markey, who finished fourth in November’s election. Markey, appearing nervous, sat silently in the audience while the question of his fate was debated.

During the election, Markey was endorsed by former Mayor Alex Fiore and Schillo, who are both aligned with the council’s pro-business, pro-growth majority. He received 8.8% of the ballots cast. Incumbent Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, who placed third, was reelected with 10.5%.

But Markey, who declared his intentions to run, may face stiff competition. Trudi Loh, who lost by a narrow margin to Schillo in November’s supervisor’s race, said she is considering a run for the fifth council seat.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook in the last week,” Loh said. “Many of the people who supported me in the supervisor’s race are asking if I will run for City Council. A lot of the issues that were of concern in the supervisor’s race are certainly the same here. I promised them I would consider it.”

The county Board of Elections estimated the cost of holding a special election would be at least $98,000.

Mayor Jaime Zukowski said before the meeting that she had been threatened with a recall if she voted against the appointment.

“I find it very interesting that that would be the kind of approach used,” Zukowski said. “It’s rather hypocritical if cost is really the issue to the city since recalls are expensive.”

“If there is a power grab going on, it is the factions that are worried they may lose the status quo,” Zeanah said. “If they’re afraid of a special election, maybe we should have one.”

In a move seen by some as sheer stubbornness and others as politically savvy, Zukowski and Zeanah went into Tuesday’s meeting favoring a special election, while Councilwoman Judy Lazar and new Councilman Andy Fox wanted to appoint Markey to fill Schillo’s seat.

Without a clear decision from the council, the city is mandated to hold a special election. Because it is too late to make the filing deadlines for a March election, the soonest the election can be held is June 1995.

All four members have said they fully expect to split 2-2 on many important development issues. The fifth person is therefore viewed as a key swing vote on upcoming decisions, including developments on the Seventh-day Adventist and Dos Vientos properties.

During the debate, two new options were presented to the council. Zeanah suggested that each council member be allowed to nominate up to two candidates to fill the spot. At the council’s first regularly scheduled meeting in January, all four council members would have an opportunity to question and consider the nominees before deciding on one, she said.

But her offer, which she described as a compromise, was quickly rejected.