Parks, Masry Focus on Growth, Yet Foes Say the War Is Over

In this city of oak groves, pristine ridgelines and neatly planned subdivisions, the phrase “slow growth” is the mantra for all who seek public office.

So it is no surprise that the campaign literature for all seven candidates vying for two seats on the City Council in November has some mention of controlling growth or protecting the environment.

Incumbent Councilwoman Linda Parks goes a step further and declares herself a “proven slow-growth leader,” largely because of the successful implementation of SOAR growth-control laws in Thousand Oaks and throughout the county.

As part of a cooperative campaign, Parks has joined forces with environmental attorney Ed Masry--who bills himself as “the candidate developers fear most”--in an effort to establish a new slow-growth majority on the council.

But the race’s other candidates--Councilman Mike Markey, Planning Commissioner Jim Bruno, environmental consultant Joe Gibson, community activist Chris Buckett and homemaker Mary Harris--argue that the slow-growth fight Masry and Parks are waging has already been won. They say the city is nearly built out and surrounded by 14,000 acres of protected open space, and that it’s time to move on to other, more pressing issues.

“Overdevelopment is not an issue,” Bruno said. “The slow-growth/pro-growth debate is simply out of touch.”

Herb Gooch, chairman of Cal Lutheran University’s political science department, said he questions whether slow growth remains an important issue with residents, outside election campaigns. He also acknowledged that it’s tough to deny the other candidates a similar designation, pointing out that “no one is ‘fast-growth.’ ”

“You have two candidates, Parks and Masry, who want to monopolize and own an issue, and that issue is slow growth,” Gooch said. “Whether it exists or the degree to which it exists is immaterial as long as they can get enough voters to think it’s an issue.”

Parks, however, counters that no one else has the record she does in opposing development projects and that neither she nor Masry will accept contributions from developers in the campaign.

Masry, 68, was born in New Jersey and grew up in Van Nuys. In the past 40 years, he has practiced nearly every type of law--from sports to criminal defense. He began taking on large companies in environmental and consumer cases in the early 1990s. One of those cases, a ground-water contamination claim against Pacific Gas & Electric, was the true story behind the blockbuster film “Erin Brockovich” starring Julia Roberts.

He said he decided to run for public office in Thousand Oaks because of bad experiences he had had with the council on four occasions, including battles over plans to build a golf course in Hill Canyon and the extension of Borchard Road in Newbury Park.

Masry maintains that decisions the council has made--with Parks dissenting--have resulted in millions of dollars in unnecessary legal fees and settlement costs.

“At stake is what I call accountability,” Masry said. “No matter how wealthy we are as a city, we can’t squander public money.”

Parks, 43, has built her slow-growth reputation by consistently voting against major development projects, usually arguing the city wanted to give away too much money or too many concessions.

She prides herself on her watchdog nature and, with a master’s degree in urban planning, her ability to digest complex land-use issues.

Parks’ campaign thus far has been funded by more than 180 contributions--most people gave less than $50--which she said illustrates her broad-based support in the community.

That apparent backing, however, has not helped her on the council. Frustrated by usually being on the short end of 4-1 votes, Parks said she considered forgoing a reelection bid until her philosophical ally Masry agreed to join the race. Both candidates are endorsed by the Sierra Club and share a view that developers interested in Thousand Oaks should never be granted building code exceptions.

Though Parks and Masry have formed a strong alliance, the other five council contenders have remained independent of each other, despite similarities in issues.

Markey, 45, a retired police officer and father of three, is among those who dispute that growth remains a meaningful issue. Thousand Oaks is one-third open space, and he says it is a great place to live.

The real issues, Markey said, are the 30-year-old roads that will soon need replacing and the long list of undeveloped city parks in need of funding. If reelected for a third term, he pledges to see through projects such as the sprucing up of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and the commercial development planned for the east side of the Civic Arts Plaza, which would bring in a cinema complex, retail and office space.

“The issue I see is, what are you going to do for the community?” he said.

Markey said he also believes campaign financing is a key issue in this race. While Markey has raised about $6,000 so far from individual residents and business owners, Masry is leading the pack with $65,000 of his own money.

“This is about one individual trying to buy a council seat,” he said.

Masry disputed the accusation, saying the fact that he spends his own money in the campaign simply means his votes on the council won’t be influenced by outside sources.

Gibson, 45, an environmental planner and elected member of the Conejo Recreation and Park District, said he decided to throw his hat in the ring because he believes he can do a better job than the incumbents, particularly Parks.

Gibson maintains that while no one wants the city’s open space paved over, Parks tries to obstruct any progress, for her own political gain. “ ‘Slow growth’ [for Parks] is a political moniker that means no growth and no change,” he said.

The future of the city is at stake in this election, he said. “Will we have a council majority who understands what the real issues are?” he asks.

Gibson stresses the importance of protecting the local sales tax base, building the city’s second teen center, in Newbury Park, and encouraging more affordable housing.

Bruno, 55, attempts to distinguish himself as the only candidate with a strong financial background. As a certified financial planner, he has knowledge of how budgets and taxes work, which is increasingly important as the city reaches maturity, he said.

“We need to prepare in advance for the next economic downturn by diversifying the economy so we are not so dependent on sales tax,” he said.

A self-described problem-solver who likes to work behind the scenes, Bruno said he understands the people and the culture of Thousand Oaks because of his 20-year history of community involvement. His campaign war chest so far has more than $16,000 in contributions.

One of the things he is most proud of is spearheading the funding and construction of a new athletic stadium at Westlake High School. He also started a Pop Warner team for the area that uses the stadium.

“I enjoy getting things done,” he said. As part of that philosophy, Bruno’s platform calls for “a new era of collaboration” between the City Council and other government agencies in town, including the Conejo Valley Unified School District and the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

Buckett and Harris agree on several issues, including a desire to change the way the existing council members treat the public.

“I feel the City Council has not been understanding to the citizens,” said Harris, who said she will fight to make city leadership more approachable. “They are very standoffish and act like they don’t want to listen to you.”

Harris, 48, is developmentally disabled and relies on public transportation to get around the city, as does her husband, Rick, who is blind. She said she would like to see hours extended on the city’s Smart Shuttle and Dial-A-Ride programs and would push to create more affordable housing in the community for seniors and disabled adults.

She doesn’t expect to raise much money and concedes she may receive fewer than 1,000 votes, but Harris said she wants her issues aired.

Buckett, 41, ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in 1998. The business consultant points to her eight years of volunteer service in the community and her hands-on experience in winding through the city bureaucracy as qualifications for the job. She too says public transportation and affordable housing are key issues in Thousand Oaks.

Calling herself the “people’s candidate,” Buckett said she is most proud of her battle in 1999 against the proposed golf course at Hill Canyon, a 154-acre area which is now designated as permanent public open space.

“I want to provide an independent voice for residents,” Buckett said. “People know me in the community and they know I’ll fight for them.”

As with all five-member city councils, it takes three votes to get anything accomplished. In the past two years, Parks usually could only muster one additional vote on measures she has proposed. “I could say, ‘The sky is blue’ and I would be debated,” she said.

Masry, with the fame and the cash needed to win a council seat, represents a chance for the numbers to finally be on her side, Parks said.

“There will be a shift,” she said. “I believe in several instances, Councilman Dan Del Campo will side with Ed and myself.”

Parks and Del Campo ran together for the council in 1996, and when he ran a second time two years later, Parks supported him.

But Del Campo, who as mayor pro tem is in line to be the city’s next mayor, has shown in his voting record that he only agrees with Parks on occasion.

“I won’t vote no just for the sake of voting no,” he said. “I’m nobody’s puppet. Campaigning is one thing; governing is another.”

Attempts to shift the board’s majority are nothing new in Thousand Oaks. In 1994, former Councilwoman Elois Zeanah--later the target of an unsuccessful $500,000 recall effort--tried hard to stack the panel with those who shared her slow-growth ideology. And Del Campo was one of three “Clean Sweep” candidates attempting to oust incumbent council members Andy Fox and Judy Lazar in 1998. Fox was reelected, but Del Campo edged out Lazar.

But never before has the faction, represented by Parks and earlier by Zeanah, had such a viable shot at actually winning a majority, said Gooch, the political scientist.

“They’ve got a popular incumbent and they have someone with a lot of money who has wide recognition,” Gooch said.

Still, some council members insist there has never been a majority on the council--nor should there be.

“Ideally, the community should be striving to elect five independent members to serve on the City Council who will make decisions based on the best interest of the city and not for a particular special-interest group,” Fox said.

Fox, Del Campo and Mayor Dennis Gillette have all chosen not to endorse any of the candidates in this race, saying it would only breed bitterness.

Civility on the elected panel is also a factor in the contest, several candidates said.

“I want to move people to a higher level--over their own egos,” Bruno said. “There’s still too much acrimony and divisiveness. We need a balanced approach to problem-solving.”

Parks, however, said she sees nothing wrong with trying to have a stronger voice for what she believes is a noble and historically underrepresented fight--a better quality of life for residents.

“Politics is a means to an end,” she said.

The outcome of the November election could mean a change in the mood of city politics, said Gooch, of CLU.

“We had a situation a couple of years ago where the council was extremely divisive,” Gooch said. “Since then, the politics has really settled down.

“Another stake is the tone of politics in the city. Will people be grandstanding or trying to work together?”