Council Critic Eloise Brown Wins Interim Moorpark Seat

Sipping tea and nibbling on a sandwich in her daughter’s antiquarian book shop a stone’s throw from City Hall, Eloise Brown savored her victory in Tuesday’s special City Council election.

“The establishment lost this one,” Brown said, obviously satisfied with the results. “We had one candidate [Mike Wesner] who said he had the endorsements of the Planning Commission, the mayor, the local newspaper and the Chamber of Commerce. He could go out and tell voters ‘I am the anointed one.’ Well, I’m so happy anointing doesn’t work here.”

Brown, 74, a former councilwoman and frequent council critic, beat out Wesner, a former Moorpark planning commissioner, with about 25% of the vote, according to the semiofficial election results released Wednesday.

Wesner received about 20% of the 4,349 votes counted, followed by another former planning commissioner, Bill LaPerch, who took 17% of the vote, and Chris Evans, who received 16%.

The special city election was to fill the seat left vacant when former Moorpark City Councilman Scott Montgomery resigned in October after pleading guilty to felony and misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charges.

Brown will serve the eight months remaining in Montgomery’s term. She is not sure if she will run again in November, when Montgomery’s seat is again up for grabs, along with the seats held by Mayor Paul Lawrason and Councilman Pat Hunter.

“I don’t know yet if I want to make another four-year commitment,” Brown said. “You’d be surprised what you can do in eight months.”

Most of the other seven candidates in the race have said they will very likely run again in November.

“We always expected we would be running in November,” Wesner said.

Brown, a vigorous community activist, served on the Moorpark City Council from 1986 until 1990. She ran in 1990 and 1991 to again serve on the council and lost both times. But she has maintained a core constituency through continuing to attend most city meetings and frequently criticizing council action.

Brown said that even after she left office she continued to get weekly phone calls from residents.

“I’ve always considered myself the voice of the voiceless,” she said, alluding to a silent majority of Moorpark residents who either do not have the time or the inclination to speak at City Council meetings.

“I have always said that I am not a leader but a representative,” Brown said. “People feel that if they talk to me, their views will at least be considered, and they will.”