No Call for Zeanah Recall

The city of Thousand Oaks is a success story, not only in Ventura County but across the nation. Since incorporating 33 years ago it has grown carefully and wisely according to a shared vision and master plan.

Citizenship here is not a spectator sport. Participation in public affairs--from neighborhood groups to city committees to political debate--is widespread and passionate.

Sometimes, a bit too passionate.

The good citizens of Thousand Oaks deserve better than the petty, acrimonious and grotesquely expensive campaign to recall Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, which has divided the city for the past 10 months.

Zeanah has her faults, but none so heinous as to justify a special election, which elections officials estimate will cost taxpayers $44,000. Unfortunately, those who share that view or support Zeanah wholeheartedly cannot voice their disapproval of the process by refusing to participate. Staying home on election day would merely guarantee success to the backers of this regrettable recall drive.

So we must urge all Thousand Oaks voters, whether they are fans of the admittedly polarizing Elois Zeanah or not, to turn out and give her a vote of confidence. Think of it as a vote in favor of reserving the recall for cases of extreme malfeasance or public betrayal.

Zeanah was elected to the City Council in 1990 after several years of growing influence in homeowners associations. With Councilwoman Linda Parks, she has opposed nearly all growth or development proposals to come before the council. In that, she does represent the view of the numerous residents who believe the city is populous enough and want every inch of remaining open space to remain open.

Some people don’t like Zeanah’s personality, or her style, or her no-growth philosophy, and they are perfectly entitled to vote her out of office. But none of those traits popped up suddenly. The people who reelected her in 1994 got exactly what they voted for, and we have not yet heard a convincing argument of what has changed to necessitate ousting her a year before her regular term expires.

Another question that looms unanswered is why Domino’s Pizza maven Jill Lederer is so determined to unseat Zeanah. The anti-Zeanah campaign at recent count had spent more than $264,000--four times the most ever spent on a Thousand Oaks council race--with $173,000 of it contributed by Lederer.

We do not share the widely expressed view that Lederer has no business participating in Thousand Oaks politics because she now lives in Moorpark. There are many ways to be a member of a community, and Lederer’s roles in Thousand Oaks include running successful businesses here, being active in organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and supporting local charities.

Still, for one person to pour that much money into a campaign skews the democratic process--especially after Proposition 208, which sharply limits campaign contributions in regular elections but, unfortunately, not in recalls.

Politics in Thousand Oaks has always been contentious, and we take that as evidence of residents’ passion for their city. But politics alone is not reason enough to put the city through the heartache and expense of this recall drive, which has brought out the worst in people on both sides of the issue.

Elois Zeanah should be allowed to complete the term to which voters elected her.