COUNCIL CRITIC WEIGHS IN; WRITE-IN CANDIDATE DENOUNCES INCUMBENTS.Byline: Cecilia Ce·cil·ia , Saint Third century a.d. Christian martyr traditionally regarded as the patron saint of music. Chan Staff Writer Two incumbents will battle a newcomer waging a write-in write-in n. 1. A vote cast by writing in the name of a candidate not on the ballot. 2. A candidate voted for in this manner. Noun 1. campaign for the two open seats on the City Council in the Nov. 2 election. With a dropping crime rate and healthy budget, one of the main issues facing the city of 21,900 is growth. The business community is concerned about the types of development along the corridor fronting the freeway, and voters will cast ballots in November November: see month. on an open-space preservation measure. Mayor Dan Kuperberg and City Councilwoman Louise Louise (ləwēz`), 1776–1810, queen of Prussia, consort of Frederick William III; a princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. During the Napoleonic Wars her patriotism and bravery won her lasting popularity. Rishoff were running uncontested until a Chamber of Commerce board member, Ken Horton Horton, river, c.275 mi (440 km) long, rising in a lake N of Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, and flowing NW to Franklin Bay, a part of the Beaufort Sea. , stepped into the ring to prompt a debate and to bash the incumbents for what he calls wasteful spending and lack of accessibility to the public. ``My decision to run was primarily based on the fact only two incumbents were running for office, unopposed,'' said Horton, who made his decision to run on the last day to file papers. ``You can't let that happen in a city where there are so many issues.'' Horton, an official at a computer learning center, said the City Council is not meeting the needs of residents wanting information about city business. ``One thing I found out by talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to people on the campaign trail is they are very disappointed and not getting answers,'' he said. ``There is no conduit conduit /con·du·it/ (kon´doo-it) channel. ileal conduit the surgical anastomosis of the ureters to one end of a detached segment of ileum, the other end being used to form a stoma on the to City Hall, and they feel left out of the decisions - that (city elected officials) do business in the back room and people are not made aware of any decisions being made.'' The incumbents seeking another four-year term, however, want to finish the projects they have begun, including the new $9 million City Hall-Library complex and a new Community Center scheduled to open in late November. Kuperberg, who is running for a second term, said Horton's statements are ``just a political attack two weeks before an election that is not based on any facts.'' He said council members have reached out to the public in numerous ways, as by attending homeowner associations meetings and setting up card tables in front of markets to meet residents. The write-in challenger, he said, ``has not come up with one new idea. He has not come up with one thing to do differently, and that is unfortunate. When I ran I had a bunch of ideas, some of which have been implemented. He just criticizes decisions, which is his right, but he's he's 1. Contraction of he is: He's going to school today. 2. Contraction of he has: He's already been to the museum. not factually fac·tu·al adj. 1. Of the nature of fact; real. 2. Of or containing facts. fac correct.'' Rishoff, a lawyer first elected to the council in 1987, has pushed for Measure B, the measure on open space going before voters on the November ballot. The measure would prohibit pro·hib·it tr.v. pro·hib·it·ed, pro·hib·it·ing, pro·hib·its 1. To forbid by authority: Smoking is prohibited in most theaters. See Synonyms at forbid. 2. rezoning of land now zoned as open space without a vote of the people. She said she also wants to keep watch over the new civic center complex she has worked on from the start. ``We are in the middle of building a new library, and I'm the hands-on council member on that project,'' she said. Horton criticized the $9 million cost and location of the City Hall and library complex being built on the south side of Agoura Road, east of the Radisson Hotel, at the foot of the undeveloped Lady Face Mountain. ``They are so into open space and preserving land that if they build the ostentatious os·ten·ta·tious adj. Characterized by or given to ostentation; pretentious. See Synonyms at showy. os library-City Hall at the foot of that land, it's disgusting,'' he said. Kuperberg says he has reached out to the youth community and has protected residents' lifestyle and values over the interests of developers, and he believes he has earned another term in office. He defended the city's decision to issue bonds to pay for the library and City Hall complex as the smartest way to finance the structure. He said the community has asked for a new library for more than a decade, and residents have been involved in the design process. He said that, in the past four years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time city has received more grants than ever before and is on a sound financial foundation. He said much of the city's financial strength has been built in the last four years. ``A lot of that is good government. When government is providing services, being economical and efficient, some credit should go to the people who run the government,'' he said. How to balance development with open-space protection is an emerging campaign issue. Ed Kurtz, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said there is concern about what kinds of businesses will come to the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. corridor, where most of the city's business development is projected. ``The key issue is development of industrial and office space in Agoura Hills,'' Kurtz said. ``The only area we have room to grow (in) is along the freeway corridor, and that is all zoned commercial. So in the years to come what kind of development comes in there is critical. I'm most concerned with the future growth of Agoura Hills.'' AGOURA HILLS CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES Candidate: Dan Kuperberg, 41. Family: Married, two children and baby on the way. Occupation: Attorney. Years in Agoura Hills: 8. Civic experience: Elected to City Council in 1995, now mayor. Former chairman of the community services advisory committee and city representative to the regional council of governments. Top issues facing the city: ``Overdevelopment Overdevelopment refers to a process by which natural resources are impacted by urbanization and/or road construction, at a rate significantly harmful to the ecosystem. Environmental activism is a frequent response to overdevelopment, as well as are many fields of academic study. . . . . Balancing the needs of the homeowners' rights, and why they chose to live in Agoura Hills, vs. developers' desire to build and bring in business. I think crime is an issue, protecting open space is a major issue, and I think keeping property value high through city infrastructure improvements.'' Top goal: Put residents' interests first. Candidate: Louise Rishoff, 57 Family: Single Occupation: Attorney Years in Agoura Hills: 17. Civic experience: First elected to council in 1987. Top issue facing the city: ``Quality of life is everything, and certainly under that is keeping our sheriff's budget very high because the crime rate continues to be so very low. There is no burning controversy in the city right now. We are just continuing to maintain control of growth and development and as the economy continues to heat up, keeping Agoura Hills a small town, maintaining that small-town sense of community.'' Top goal: Open the library by the end of next year, pass open space initiative. Candidate: Ken Horton, 52. Family: Married, five children, two grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. . Occupation: Director of financial aid and business development for New Horizon Computer Learning Center. Years in Agoura Hills: 12. Civic experience: Board of directors on Agoura Hills Chamber of Commerce, YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. , board of managers at Las Virgenes Technology Foundation. Top issue facing the city: ``Well, first of all spending money they don't have is really a big concern of mine. . . . They tend to focus on one or two problems during their term and push everything aside. There are many more problems in Agoura Hills than the library and open space. Basically if it rains very heavily in Agoura Hills we would lose Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. Boulevard - a portion of it would wash away.'' Top goal: Provide information about the city to residents, possibly through a monthly town hall meeting. Fix traffic congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. . CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Ken Horton (2 -- color) Dan Kuperberg (3 -- color) Louise Rishoff Box: Agoura Hills City Council candidates (see text) |
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