Retiree Joins Race for City Council Seats

In front of a dozen supporters gathered at Civic Arts Plaza on Monday morning, Marshall Dixon, a retired general manager of an Illinois auto firm, announced his candidacy for a seat on the Thousand Oaks City Council.

Dixon joins a field of three candidates bidding for two slots on the five-member panel--one vacated by Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski, who plans to retire Aug. 13 and move to Colorado, and one currently occupied by Councilman Mike Markey, who has filed papers for reelection.

Ekbal “Nick” Quidwai and Ramaul Rush, both who have run unsuccessfully in the past, have also filed their candidacies.

Others have announced plans to run for council, including engineer David Seagal, but have not yet filed papers with the city clerk’s office.

Stressing experience and wisdom, the 71-year-old Dixon said he hoped to restore civility and dialogue in the council chambers.

“Citizens of this city have repeatedly expressed the need for mature judgment and a high standard of conduct from their elected officials,” Dixon said.

Dixon, who serves as chairman of the Thousand Oaks Council on Aging, proposed creation of a new Public Safety Commission to monitor police and fire budgets, crime rates, response times and staffing levels.

Dixon has been an active community member since he moved to Thousand Oaks eight years ago. He has served as chairman of the board at the Oaknoll Homeowners Assn. and has sat on the administrative board of the United Methodist Church of Westlake Village. He and his wife, Wilma, have three children and six grandchildren.

Former Thousand Oaks Mayor Alex Fiore will serve as chairman of Dixon’s campaign committee.