Parks for Supervisor

The March 5 primary will decide not only who will occupy the two open seats on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, but also the future of the region.

With recent newspaper articles emphasizing the horse-race quality of the campaigns--who the long shot is and how much money is being wagered--the larger issue of how the board will function in 2003 and beyond is being ignored.

Tough decisions regarding growth and our quality of life will be made, and we need representatives with courage and commitment.

Linda Parks, a Thousand Oaks council member and candidate for the 2nd District seat, has an eight-year record of public service.

She has a master’s degree in urban planning and is a 20-year member of the American Planning Assn. She is a board member of the Local Agency Formation Commission and the Air Pollution Control District.

Linda Parks is the only candidate for the 2nd District with proven leadership.

Linda Parks served on the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission for four years. In 1993, she co-founded the Discovery Center, a regional hands-on science museum that will be located next to the Civic Arts Plaza. She wrote the Parks Initiative in 1996, which protects open space from being developed commercially without voter approval until 2026.

As a director of SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources), she worked with Supervisor Steve Bennett and attorney Richard Francis to pass the initiative that preserves the county’s general plan, which is the state-approved blueprint for development in the region. Rural, open space and agricultural lands cannot be developed commercially without voter approval until 2020, thanks in part to Linda Parks.

Supervisors Bennett, John Flynn and Kathy Long endorsed Linda Parks when she ran for City Council. Their seats are not being contested in 2002, so she would join them in January of next year.

Linda Parks’ vision for Ventura County, her dedication to preserving our quality of life and her effectiveness have earned my respect. While her opponent jockeys for name recognition, I know she is hard at work, continuing to make government more responsive to the will of the people.

Nora Aidukas

Thousand Oaks