5 Pick Up Papers for City Council Election : Thousand Oaks: Among them, only Mike Markey has officially filed his candidacy. Early signs indicate a crowded, diverse field.

Five potential candidates picked up papers Monday for the June special election to fill a vacancy on the Thousand Oaks City Council, although only one, Compton homicide detective Mike Markey, has officially filed.

First in line Monday morning to have the rules and regulations of campaigning explained to him was John Ellis, an advocate for the disabled who frequently scolds council members about disabled-access issues at meetings.

Next was Markey, who placed fourth in the November election among a field of 16 candidates and narrowly missed being appointed to fill the vacancy in December.

Rejoining him on the campaign trail will be mobile carwash owner Lance Winslow and self-employed businessman Eckbal Quidwai, who finished ninth and 15th, respectively.

First-time candidate Ramaul Rush, a dependency counselor who works in Los Angeles County, also pulled papers.

Eileen Reimers, a homeless woman who lives in local shelters and hotels with her two young daughters, is scheduled to begin the candidate orientation today, as is Planning Commissioner Forrest Frields.

Markey was the first to return to City Hall Monday afternoon with the required 30 signatures on a petition and a $550 filing fee. He said he was eager to make his candidacy official.

“You could have 100 people pull papers, but until they turn them in, nobody knows if they are actually running,” Markey said.

The mix of contestants that emerged Monday indicated that the field will be crowded, with some political newcomers as well as veterans from last fall’s race. Quidwai, Winslow and Markey have been touting their campaigns since before the council split while voting on how to fill the vacancy, mandating the June 6 election.

Rush, one of the newcomers, is a member of the social services funding committee, which makes decisions on dispersing federal block grants.

Reimers is a single mother who has addressed the council on issues relating to the homeless, on a few occasions making eloquent pleas for the city to improve shelters and make them more friendly to families with children.

Ellis, 63, who describes himself as a real estate broker, an engineer and a consultant, last ran for public office more than 30 years ago, when he made unsuccessful bids for the park district board in 1963 and the Conejo Valley school board in 1964. He is frequently seen at meetings, however, protesting in his booming baritone that the city is neglecting federal regulations on disabled access.

“I have been trying to get the city to clean up their corrupt act for almost eight years now,” Ellis said. “I’m the one to do it. Everything in this world starts with one person.”

Still expected to pull papers later this week are former supervisorial candidate Trudi Loh and dentist Greg Cole, who placed eighth last fall after spending more money than any other candidate in the race.