CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES:

Edmund M. Alamillo, Martin A. Armstrong, Melody J. Baker, Carla J. Bonney,
Daniel E. Carrillo, Kenneth M. Cozzens, Cheryl Heitmann, William M. Knox,
Carl E. Morehouse, Brian Lee Rencher, Christy A. Weir

Edmund M. Alamillo

As a lifelong resident of Ventura, I am committed to making a difference by improving policies affecting our quality of life.

As a past Senior Agricultural Biologist, I seek to preserve the quality of our agriculture resources and maintain urban development. As your next council member, I have an ambitious five point plan to improve our quality of life.

1. Public safety is my top priority. Our public safety personnel (police, fire, etc.) deserve to be appropriately staffed and maintained. I believe in community policing and having the appropriate ratio.
   
   
2. We must maintain our city services to help repair existing neighborhood streets, sidewalks and graffiti removal. This will enhance our quality of life.
   
   
3. Retail economic development needs to be addressed at the Ventura Auto Mall, the downtown area and the Pacific View Mall while creating higher paying jobs in industrial areas and preserving farmland land use.
   
   
4. Traffic congestion can be reduced by synchronizing traffic lights at the busiest intersections and investing in a more efficient public transportation system. (More service bicycle routes.)
   
   
5. Recreational programs should be maintained to increase positive youth activities as a deterrent to joining gangs. Senior and adult softball and other recreational activities should also be maintained. (Improve Kimball Park.)

Furthermore, I want to bring into our city the idea of maintaining our community infrastructure. I see our community falling apart. Our roads and sidewalks need repair and our local parks and beaches need to be maintained and finished, like Kimball Park. But we also have to have continuity with the west side avenue area. They too, are lacking a formidable park so that their youth will stay engaged in athletic programs which would deter gang involvement.

We have a great opportunity to prioritize our community's assets by rebuilding and publicizing our infrastructure. I am the only candidate with a short term economic stimulus plan to bring in money into our lacking general fund. My tourism plans are as follows: Let's publicize our local harbor which is known for whale watching and a small pirate festival. But it is also known as one of the West Coast distribution centers for calamari and seafood. We should have a calamari/wine/seafood festival to highlight our Ventura Harbor. We should also publicize and invest in our local bike path that runs from our coastline into Ojai and back down to Santa Paula as a similar Amgen Tour in cycling magazines. Another one of my tourism ideas is: Ventura is the birthplace of the Ortega chile. What about an Ortega chile festival? We could have that in downtown Ventura at the mission. Without new revenue our city services will continue to be in peril.

Sincerely,

ED ALAMILLO

Kenneth Cozzens

When asked why I want to serve as a member of the city council during these trying times, I looked back through my life and found the answers. My fond memories of going to the beach, walking through the shops on Main Street and attending Poinsettia, Balboa and Buena make me want to strive to provide the same great memories for others.

Ventura residents and visitors have the right to feel safe and secure. Adequate police and fire protection is a necessity. Through my personal experience, I learned that each city has its own quality of life issues to address. I will use my expertise to gain a greater understanding of the efforts being made by both police and fire personnel to handle problems unique to our city.

Even though our city is blessed with small businesses that play a major role in Ventura's charm, we must seek out retail and manufacturing companies that are environmentally correct, provide services and jobs for our residents, and attract visitors.

If given the opportunity to serve, I promise to devote the time and energy needed to make fair and rational decisions. I will be available, take the time to listen and treat all citizens of Ventura with the respect they deserve.

Cheryl Heitmann
Executive Director, Ventura Music Festival

Ventura is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I care deeply about our city and am committed to help protect our unique quality of life.

The city is facing tremendous challenges to provide basic services with leaner resources. We need a Council that is fiscally responsible, open to new ideas and responsive to what residents want. I'm running because I can provide effective leadership with a fresh vision.

I have experience making tough financial decisions. When elected as a Ventura County Community College District Trustee, the district faced serious financial shortfalls. When I left, VCCCD was one of state's most fiscally stable districts.

As the Ventura Music Festival's Executive Director, I have the pleasure of working with our vibrant arts community. It is my responsibility to manage the budget responsibly and build productive public-private partnerships that make the Festival successful. I understand the value of reaching out and listening to people and the value of an involved arts community.

We must protect our quality of life which includes the rich arts community. It is often targeted as unnecessary. But quite the contrary, it is an economic engine in the city and an important part of our tourism. Tourism and especially cultural tourism must be expanded to bring additional revenues into the city. The arts are also important for the soul of our community and the education of our children. I am committed to making sure our community continues to value the contribution of the arts to Ventura.

The City's priorities need to match the community's goals — attract good jobs, fund libraries, reduce homelessness, protect our environment, improve road and park maintenance, increase cultural tourism and support public safety. Only when we have a City Hall that listens to the community, supports our neighborhoods, and helps local businesses thrive, can we reach those goals.

I'd be honored to have your support.
www.cherylheitmann.com.

William M. Knox

I have called Ventura home for 21 years. My wife Sara, our daughter Stella and I live along with Auggie, the family dog, on Ventura's eastside. I am the vice president of a growing small business and a frequent nation-wide speaker on complex tax matters. I believe it is important to give back to the community. This is why I serve as a board member of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association, as a member of the Holy Cross Consultative School Board, as past Chairman of the East Ventura Community Council and as a Member of United Way's and CSU, Channel Islands' Planned Giving Advisory Councils.

I know that it is important to have someone looking out for our interests.  As a member of the city council, I will help restore prosperity to Ventura by eliminating waste, encouraging business development, prioritizing public safety and safe-guarding our city's natural beauty.  I'm not a career politician, but your neighbor, offering my assistance to make Ventura the best it can be. As a member of the city council I pledge to focus on the following three areas.

A Return to Prosperity

• Create a business enterprise zone
• Develop a business start-up program
• Eliminate the gross receipts tax for small businesses making under the poverty level

Public Safety

• Crack down on violent crime and aggressive panhandling
• Increase police patrols and add more firefighters

Protect Our Natural Beauty

• Clean and maintain our beautiful beaches
• Protect our rivers from the pollution caused by vagrant camps
• Increase access to our local hills and valleys

Find Out More!

• Learn more at http://www.knox4ventura.com/

Brian Lee Rencher

For over twenty years I have been your advocate and watchdog at Ventura City Hall.

By attending and participating in City Council, Planning Commission, Design Review, and other City board, commission and committee meetings - as well as reading their respective staff reports - I have become a true expert in most aspects of Ventura's operations, finances, laws, and processes.

I was a college freshman in 1991 when I began my public service. By 1998, I
had earned an M.B.A. in Executive Management; two B.S. degrees (Finance /
Marketing); two A.S. degrees (Management I Real Estate Sales); and an A.A.
degree (Liberal Arts and Sciences).

I have used my intelligence, knowledge, experience, motivation, and time to improve our community by: paving streets, building and maintaining parks, diversifying the city s housing stock, increasing economic opportunities, repairing and improving water and sewer systems, and, most recently, improving public safety.

I am really good at what I do for this community and consider myself a professional.

The way things are today, this is no time to vote for the butcher the baker or the candlestick maker - you should vote for a dedicated, capable, honest, and fiscally responsible professional with a proven track record of getting positive results.

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Other Candidate Statements Coming Soon!