2 Incumbents Aren’t Taking Supervisor Race Lightly

Ventura County Supervisors Frank Schillo and Judy Mikels have an obvious edge over their opponents in the June 2 election.

They each have wide name recognition and are experienced politicians who can converse freely about their records on a multitude of issues--from welfare reform to economic growth--facing the county.

By contrast, their respective opponents, Vince Curtis and Jon Palo, have never held elected office, and Curtis has never voted in a local election. They have only lived in the county six years combined and are almost exclusively one-issue candidates.

The two spend as much time talking about a separate countywide campaign to slow development on farmland and open space as they do touting their own slow-growth candidacies.

And Schillo and Mikels are not taking their opponents lightly.

Despite what would appear to be an obvious advantage against their challengers, the two incumbents are running full-bore campaigns.

Among the reasons for their determined fight against complacency, Schillo said, is a little tidbit of local election lore--a unique political ailment he has nicknamed “MSS,” short for “Madge Schaefer Syndrome.”

Schillo attributes MSS to those politicians who believe their opponents are too amateurish or inexperienced to be taken seriously--as many say Schaefer did in 1990, when running for reelection to the Board of Supervisors against 25-year-old neophyte Maria VanderKolk.

VanderKolk’s resulting victory, widely considered one of the biggest political upsets in county history, has been attributed by many to Schaefer’s nonchalant campaign strategy more than VanderKolk’s slow-growth stance.

Schillo said he is not about to repeat history in Schaefer’s old 2nd District, which spans from Oak Park and Thousand Oaks into Port Hueneme. Likewise, Mikels is wary of committing the same mistake in her 4th District, which stretches from Simi Valley and Moorpark to Somis.

Both incumbents vow to walk precincts until the last day of the race.

“I don’t take for granted that I’m going to be reelected,” Mikels said. “Any time there is an opposing candidate, you’d better take them seriously until all the votes are counted. The VanderKolk experience was a reminder for everyone that you can never take reelection lightly.”

2nd District

Schillo, a 64-year-old financial consultant who spent 10 years on the Thousand Oaks City Council, believes he has the experience voters look for in a county supervisor.

The bottom line, Schillo said, is that he is far better equipped than Curtis to accomplish what residents in his district want most: to get their rightful share of the county budget.

“Thousand Oaks produces a lot more property tax money than any other area in this county, and that’s a fact,” Schillo said. “Who can provide the best county services for the people in my district? That’s what it’s all about.”

After setting local spending records in the brutal 1994 election battle against Thousand Oaks attorney Trudi Loh, Schillo has opted for a more low-key race this time, placing a $100 limit on contributions to his campaign.

He advocates stricter measures to protect the undeveloped Tierra Rejada Valley, which separates Thousand Oaks from Moorpark and Simi Valley. He has also stolen Curtis’ thunder by coming out in favor of the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiatives, which seek to take land-use powers away from politician and give them to voters.

“I know there is pressure to develop the area,” Schillo said of the Tierra Rejada Valley, which is actually in Mikels’ district. “I want to make sure that doesn’t happen. I don’t know why he [Curtis] doesn’t agree that we need something stronger.”

Schillo also wants to keep moving forward with plans to resuscitate the county’s library system, and wants to continue helping leaders from Port Hueneme and the Oxnard Harbor District make the most of the booming Port of Hueneme.

Curtis, a 40-year-old real estate appraiser who moved to Ventura County from Agoura in 1996, said his experience riding horseback in soon-to-be developed Ahmanson Ranch convinced him that there is something wrong with the priorities of county leaders.

“When I got to ride my horses back there, I thought, ‘No one knows how beautiful this is back here,’ ” Curtis said. “I just can’t understand how the county could allow thousands of houses to be built back there. I’ll never accept that.”

Unfortunately for Curtis, one of the leaders of Friends of Ahmanson Ranch, a major land swap that was widely considered the project’s last hurdle was completed earlier this year, taking away his main campaign issue. But Curtis believes the fight is not over and he will continue to oppose it.

“It’s a real long-term project,” he said. “I’m going to do everything legally possible to stop it or slow it.”

Election records show that Curtis has never cast a ballot in Ventura County, a fact he initially contested before conceding that he failed to file for an absentee ballot in time. But he argues that in two decades in Los Angeles County, he rarely failed to make it to the polls.

Curtis wants to train county firefighters in paramedic skills, a move he believes would save money and increase efficiency. He also supports a redistricting of supervisorial areas that would place Port Hueneme in the same district as most of Oxnard.

But his main issue is growth.

“I’ve been called a one-issue candidate, but this is the issue on the minds of most people in Ventura County,” Curtis said. “It affects everything--infrastructure and air quality and public safety--and I’m tired of Frank Schillo saying he is slow growth when he’s not. He’s never voted against a development that I know of.”

4th District

Mikels, the 52-year-old owner of a small Simi Valley picture frame business, spent eight years on the Simi Valley City Council and Planning Commission before being elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1994.

Now chairwoman of the board, Mikels believes she has demonstrated a strong command of the issues facing Ventura County, something she believes Palo is incapable of grasping because he has only lived in the county about four years.

“He doesn’t even understand the issues in Simi and Moorpark, much less the county,” Mikels said. “If he really wants to make an impact on land-use decisions and limit growth, he should consider the Planning Commission or City Council, since that is where most of those decisions are made.”

Mikels advocates preserving the quality of life that county residents have come to treasure by protecting the county’s top industry: agriculture. She supports the recommendations of the Agriculture Policy Working Group, which is asking cities to consider adopting urban boundary limits that only voters could change, instead of the similar but stricter SOAR limits.

“We’ve resisted the pressure to become another Orange County for years, and now we have to continue that fight,” Mikels said. “I resent the implication that we’re letting the county grow out of control.”

Mikels is a strong believer in providing more county services in the east county so residents do not have to trek to Ventura. She is particularly interested in providing post-crime medical exams for rape and sexual abuse victims closer to their homes.

“I can’t think of anything worse than a victim who’s been raped or assaulted being dragged in a black-and-white [police car] all the way to Ventura,” Mikels said.

Palo, a 42-year-old industrial paint salesman who is heading the Simi Valley SOAR campaign, believes he is more in tune with the voters supporting slow growth than Mikels, whom he regards as an “arrogant” advocate of moneyed interests.

“She’s on the wrong side of the most important issue facing this county,” Palo said, referring to Mikels’ opposition to SOAR. “If you have money and influence, she’ll listen to you. But if you’re an average citizen, forget it.”

Palo, who put out a slick mailer recently showing a bulldozer plowing through a citrus orchard, refutes critics’ claims that he too is a one-issue candidate. But at a recent political forum, he spent most of his allotted time talking about growth and the SOAR initiative--even pointing to a petition for the initiative in the back of the room.

Arguing that it will ruin the last pure agricultural area in the county, Palo believes in stopping any future expansion of California 118 through Las Posas Valley. He also supports creation of an advanced information network to help like-minded businesses share information.

Palo is also a strong supporter of the recent merger of the county’s Public Social Services Agency with the Behavioral Health Department to form the Human Services Agency, which Mikels strongly opposed. Palo believes the merger will better serve patients, while Mikels worries that it is financially risky and could erode the authority of doctors who treat the mentally ill.

In addition, Palo believes county leaders have done a poor job of providing adequate library services.

“Other counties have managed to maintain good library systems despite facing the same pressures Ventura County has faced,” Palo said. “I think what’s happened to our libraries is criminal.”

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2nd Supervisorial District

Two candidates are vying for this seat, which represents Thousand Oaks, Oak Park and Port Hueneme.

Frank Schillo

Age: 64

Residence: Thousand Oaks

Occupation: County supervisor-financial consultant

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Notre Dame, master’s degree in business administration from the University of Dayton, Ohio

Background: A former Thousand Oaks councilman and member of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, Schillo founded the Conejo Valley affordable-housing group Many Mansions and the Economic Development Collaborative. He has served as chairman of the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

Issues: Schillo believes he is best qualified to help Thousand Oaks, Port Hueneme and Oak Park secure county funding. He advocates stronger measures to protect the Tierra Rejada Valley from development. He vows to continue his role as pessimistic fiscal watchdog.

4th Supervisorial District

Two candidates are vying for this seat, which represents Simi Valley, Moorpark and Las Posas Valley.

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Vince Curtis

Age: 40

Residence: Oak Park

Occupation: Real estate appraiser

Education: Bachelor’s degree in film, Cal State Northridge

Background: A volunteer equestrian patrolman for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Curtis has been active in Friends of Ahmanson Ranch, an offshoot of slow-growth group Save Open Space. He has also been active in the SOAR initiatives and LIFE Animal Rescue.

Issues: A former San Fernando Valley resident, Curtis is concerned that Ventura County is growing too fast. He vows to make things as difficult as possible for developers of the Ahmanson Ranch mini-city. He believes in training county firefighters in paramedic skills.

4th Supervisorial District

Two candidates are vying for this seat, which represents Simi Valley, Moorpark and Las Posas Valley.

Judy Mikels

Age: 52

Residence: Simi Valley

Occupation: County supervisor-small-business owner

Education: Studied nursing at Contra Costa College

Background: A former Simi Valley councilwoman and planning commissioner, Mikels is chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors. She serves on the county Local Agency Formation Commission, the county Information Technology Committee and chairs the Calleguas Creek Watershed Management Plan Committee.

Issues: Mikels vows to continue fighting excessive government spending and looking to increase efficiency. She supports managed growth and believes more can be done to preserve farmland and improve air quality. She strongly advocates providing more government services in the east county.

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Jon Palo

Age: 42

Residence: Simi Valley

Occupation: Industrial paint salesman

Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology, UCLA; master’s degree in business administration, Pepperdine University

Background: A former Ventura and Los Angeles resident, Palo is the chair of Simi Valley’s SOAR initiative drive. He has been active in the Boy Scouts and sings in a United Methodist Church choir. He has also been active in homeless issues with the People’s Action Delivery Shelter in Simi Valley.

Issues: Palo is a strong advocate of open-space preservation. He is opposed to further expansion of California 118 through the Somis area, and vows to protect the farm industry. He advocates creation of a county business technology network. He supports the newly created Human Services Agency.