Zukowski Won’t Seek Reelection to City Council

Come November, the formidable slow-growth alliance of council members Jaime Zukowski and Elois Zeanah--known to both friend and foe as “The Z’s”--will be just another snippet of Conejo Valley history.

Confirming a rumor that has been part of Thousand Oaks political debate for months, Zukowski announced Wednesday that she will not seek reelection this fall because of family concerns.

Her husband, Mark, a scientist at biotechnology giant Amgen, was transferred more than a year ago to Boulder, Colo. The family has been divided ever since, often flying back and forth on weekends. On Sunday, the Zukowskis decided that the separation was too difficult to endure for another four years.

“Half my family is somewhere else right now, and we want to be one again,” Zukowski said. “This is a tough decision for me because I love Thousand Oaks, but I have to do this.”

Zeanah said she was not surprised to learn that Zukowski, who is serving her first term, had chosen family over public service. But she was dismayed nevertheless.

“I’m certainly going to miss her, as will the community,” Zeanah said. “She made her mark in the time she was here. There is just no more ethical and honorable a person than Jaime Zukowski.”

Zukowski’s decision means that there will be a new council member in November. Interest in the position--as well as in the seat of Councilman Mike Markey, who will be up for reelection--is expected to be great.

But Zukowski’s choice to not run again may have scared off at least one potential candidate: Planning Commissioner Linda Parks.

Parks said that if there is no chance to capture a slow-growth majority on the council--and doing so without Zukowski would be difficult, she believes--then she would not be interested in the position.

“If she were staying, I would definitely be running for the council,” Parks said. “But now, I don’t know. Jaime has been frustrated as a member of the council minority, seeing so much development get approved, and I think I would find that frustrating too.”

Parks, who was appointed by Zukowski to the Planning Commission, said their friendship had recently grown beyond politics. She said Zukowski’s commitment to preserving open space and refusal to make exceptions to Thousand Oaks’ tough development standards have been second to none.

“She is so strong, even though she is in a situation where she and Elois cannot prevent some of the awful developments that have been approved,” Parks said. “I don’t think the community could ever find a better representative.”

Mayor Andy Fox, who concedes that he and Zukowski have had major disagreements over land-use issues, nevertheless took time Wednesday to praise his council colleague for the personal sacrifice she has made to serve Thousand Oaks.

“This is not the time to dwell on philosophical differences,” he said. “I’m happy for Jaime and her family. . . . I don’t think a lot of people realize the sacrifice she made, taking care of two young children, doing all the shopping, going to the Little League games and serving as a public official. That takes a lot of effort.”

Zukowski said she and her husband decided to move to Boulder in the fall so that their two sons, Daniel, 13, and Thomas, 11, could begin the school year there.

“It was a hard decision, and I put it off as far as possible,” she said. “I always thought there was a chance that my husband would work here again, since Amgen is based in Thousand Oaks, but it’s unlikely for now.”

If she believed that she could help secure a slow-growth majority, she would have remained, she said.

“If I thought my decision would affect the balance of the council and the issues that I care about, I would delay it even longer,” Zukowski said. “But, unfortunately, I do not believe we could swing the balance.”

Councilwoman Judy Lazar, who also tends to disagree with Zukowski on development issues, said most people would do exactly what Zukowski is doing if they were in her situation.

“I think she has put her priorities in the right place,” Lazar said. “She and Mark have been going back and forth from Colorado for a long time, and that takes its toll.”

Lazar said Zukowski deserves respect for publicizing her decision early instead of delaying for political purposes. Now, she said, the politicking will truly begin.

“A lot of jockeying has been happening already,” she said, “but there will certainly be a lot more now.”