THOUSAND OAKS : Frields, Cole Pull Out of Council Race

Thousand Oaks Planning Commissioner Forrest Frields and dentist Greg Cole both announced Wednesday that they will not be candidates in the special election to fill a City Council vacancy.

Frields said he pulled out of the race because of personal commitments and a desire to see the field of candidates reduced.

“To have four or five candidates, I still think that is a lot of candidates,” Frields said. “With that many people it is difficult for the public to discern where a candidate stands. You wind up voting uninformed.”

Frields said he plans to run for Mayor Jaime Zukowski’s seat in November, 1996. He said he was urged by many people in the city--including Citizens to Save Our City’s Brian Collier--not to run in the June 6 election.

Cole said he wants to spend more time with his family.

A dozen people took out papers for the election to fill the council seat held by former Councilman Frank Schillo before he was elected to the Board of Supervisors. But as Friday’s filing deadline approaches, that number is rapidly dwindling.

Retired beer company warehouse supervisor Harry Wald said earlier this week that he will not run, as did college student Ken Miller. David Hare, an environmental manager with the city of West Hollywood who finished seventh in the fall campaign, and Eileen Reimers, a homeless woman, also decided against entering the race.

Attorney Trudi Loh, who narrowly lost to Schillo in the supervisorial race, plans to make her candidacy official today.

Mike Markey, Compton homicide detective, and businessman Ramaul Rush have already returned their paperwork and are registered for the election.