Council Hopefuls Square Off and Have Their Say in Dueling Forums

The feuding forums went on with just a smidgen of civility Wednesday night as the four so-called “front-runner” candidates for the City Council squabbled over the issues at the Civic Arts Plaza while some of those who were left out of that privately sponsored event quarreled just down the street.

The perennial Thousand Oaks topics--growth, crime and open space--dominated both the Emerald Forum, sponsored by businessman Tom Parker, and the competing Freedom Forum, held at Temple Adat Elohim on East Hillcrest Drive by the candidates Parker did not consider significant enough to invite to his event.

At the Emerald Forum, the candidates took little time in their attempts to draw blood from their opponents: “They basically insinuate that I’m a crook,” said Councilman Mike Markey, responding to accusations from candidates Linda Parks and Dan Del Campo that he is influenced by campaign contributions by developers. “I’m a police officer. I put people in jail, and for someone to insinuate that I’m a crook is very disconcerting.”

Ten contenders are vying for two available seats in this fall’s City Council race. Former Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski resigned last month to move to Colorado. Markey is seeking reelection.

The other nine hopefuls are salesman Nick Quidwai; Parks, a planning commissioner; Del Campo, a marketing consultant; UCLA student Tom Lee; retired mechanic Norm Jackson; children’s court investigator Ramaul Rush; retired auto dealership manager Marshall Dixon; civil engineer David Seagal; and mobile carwash entrepreneur Lance Winslow.

Arguing that fewer people would make for a more informative event, last month Parker invited only Parks, Del Campo, Dixon and Markey to his forum, for which he rented out the Civic Arts Plaza. The retired FBI agent--owner of The Emerald Group, a Westlake-based corporate security firm--said he chose those four because he considered them to be the leading candidates.

That angered some of the other council hopefuls--most notably Seagal and Winslow, who decided to even the score by staging a forum of their own. They tried to coax the four candidates away from Parker’s forum, calling it an elitist gathering designed to promote Dixon’s candidacy by hoisting him to the front ranks. Parker has acknowledged that he is one of Dixon’s campaign advisors.

But Seagal and Winslow had no success: The candidates who committed to the Emerald Forum said it was too late to go back on their word. And Lee--one of the “Snubbed Six,” as some of those left out call themselves--decided to skip the Freedom Forum despite his opposition to Parker’s event.

The Emerald Forum was attended by about 65 people--including Rush, who chose to be a spectator at the private event rather than participating in the alternate forum.

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Four panelists--representing the media, the business community, open space advocates and homeowners--asked the candidates a series of questions, ranging from ways to protect the city’s small businesses to how to bring civility back to Thousand Oaks politics.

Panelist Rorie Skei, chairwoman of the Conejo Open Space Preservation Agency, asked what the City Council should do to maintain the city’s open space, which is used by many nonresidents for weekend recreation.

Markey said the city should consider charging out-of-towners for using open space in Thousand Oaks. When Parks had a chance to respond, she slammed the councilman’s idea. “I just find it abhorrent to think that we would charge someone to walk on our hills,” she said.

Along with open space, the candidates discussed the frequently heard concerns that Thousand Oaks could turn into a dense concrete grid like the San Fernando Valley. Parks and Del Campo said the concerns were valid; Markey and Dixon said they were not.

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“Don’t be confused by the scare tactics or political hot buttons that are being used. We are not going to turn into another San Fernando Valley,” Dixon said.

The Emerald Forum also touched on the performance of City Manager Grant Brimhall and City Atty. Mark Sellers, who have been criticized by Councilwoman Elois Zeanah and Zukowski as having too much influence on City Council decisions.

“The city manager needs to be responsive to the City Council, and not the reverse” said Del Campo, who vowed to try to reduce the salaries of top city officials if elected.

Candidates Jackson, Quidwai, Seagal and Winslow showed up to the Freedom Forum, which was moderated by Mayor Andy Fox and attended by about 15 residents. They answered questions from a five-member panel, but did not engage each other in direct debate.

The candidates took turns addressing issues ranging from crime to development and government accountability.

Quidwai, a frequent council critic, said government accountability was the city’s most important issue. “Right now, the council is a snake pit. It is looked on as a circus by the citizens,” he said, adding that more oversight of City Hall spending is needed.

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Seagal agreed, saying that financial accountability and good record keeping were essential. “What we need to do is look at all the finances. We need to justify every expense,” he said.

One candidate who supported more spending was Jackson, who advocates selling municipal bonds to provide more recreational facilities for youngsters.

“This year, I’m running for City Council to build a city-owned and park district-operated fun center,” Jackson said early in the program.

In his opening statement, Seagal immediately tackled the topic of managed growth. “I believe in quality growth,” he said. “I’m not against development, but it has to be moderated.”

Second-time candidate Winslow lamented the gradual erosion of the city’s friendly character.

“What’s happened to our town? Our little town where everyone cares about everyone else? We’re going to be a big city,” he said.

Miguel Bustillo is a Times staff writer; Miguel Helft is a Times correspondent.