CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES:
Lou Cunningham, Bill Fulton, Michael Gibson, Douglas A. Halter, Jerry D. Martin, Carl E. Morehouse, Brian Lee Rencher, Christy Weir, Carroll "CD" Williams

Lou Cunningham

I am running to serve the city of Ventura as a whole. I want to unite the people around simple practical ideas to implement life in our city. I want to use my experience dealing with budgets, infrastructure, land use, and other delicate issues that effect people's lives. I feel that the average Venturan is under represented on the City Council.


We face some tough issues ahead, but I am ready to roll up my sleeves, work hard, do my homework, and provide common sense to re-build the citizens trust in City Hall. I feel that the lack of trust in City Hall is what's keeping us all from working together and moving forward. "I believe with my style of leadership I can bring the people of Ventura together."

This is a critical election for our city's future. My goal is to make sure that City Hall is spending our tax dollars wisely and that we receive the quality of services we expect We must rebuild our infrastructure, provide a safe level of police and fire protection, and pay for past and present employee wages and benefits, all while maintaining our reserves.

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Bill Fulton
Candidate Statement on Arts and Culture

I have always been a strong supporter of the arts and culture in Ventura and will continue to do so in the future. As a musician and writer, I embrace the significance of the arts as an important element in the daily life of every Venturan. But I also believe the city's strong and consistent support of arts and culture is an irreplaceable component of our city's enduring prosperity.

Fifteen years ago, in the wake of oil industry cutbacks, the City Council adopted the first Cultural Plan as a way of nurturing an important new sector of the economy. Since then, our growing arts and culture sector has become an important part of our local prosperity and has also become an integral component of our visitor strategy. We should continue these efforts.

Beyond that, however, I believe that arts and culture represent an important component of our overall economic development strategy, especially our efforts to attract high-wage jobs in the high-tech and biotech sectors. In my "day job" as an urban planning and economic development consultant with a nationwide practice, I have learned that in order to attract the highly educated people who both create and take those high-wage jobs, communities must provide a wide range of amenities including arts and culture. Especially in the West, arts and culture must be married with a strong sense of place and history as well a dramatic natural setting and significant outdoor recreational opportunities.

Ventura now has all these components, thanks to our ongoing effort in the arts and culture area. We must continue our commitment to enhance our own quality of life, to improve the visitor experience, and to maintain our competitiveness for high-wage, high-value jobs.

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Michael J. Gibson
Ventura City Council Candidate Statement

Age - 51

Occupation -- Business Manger, Santa Barbara County Parks Department (13 years)

Education -- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Cal State Fullerton; Masters in Public Administration (MPA), Cal State Northridge

Personal -- Married to Susan for 22 years; three children -- Christopher (20), Eloise (18), and Michael, Jr. (17)

Experience and Qualifications

- Master's degree in public administration

- Worked for over 26 years in local government in the areas
of fiscal and budget management

- Experience in community development, redevelopment,
parks and recreation, and public works

- Will bring a fresh perspective, open mind, and new ideas to city government

Goals for the City of Ventura

- Promote economic development to improve the City's tax base

- Advocate well-managed to maintain the City's unique character

- Market the City more effectively as a tourist destination

- Establish spending priorities and better long-range financial forecasting

- Implement efficiency improvements in City operations

- Increase police and fire staffing and services when the tax base can support it

- Preserve and enhance our parks and open space resources

- Create additional recreational opportunities for the community

Declining property tax revenues, due to the current downward trend in the real estate market are likely to continue to erode the City's tax base into the foreseeable future. Property tax collections account for a significant portion of the City's discretionary revenues (i.e., funding that is used to support essential city services -- police, fire, parks, streets and roads, etc.).

In order to address this situation, we, as City leaders, need to place greater emphasis on economic development as a long-term strategy to address the City's current and future budgetary needs. We need to look at creative and innovative approaches to improving the City's tax base by being more business-friendly and actively courting high quality, tax-producing development in the City.

I will bring to my job as a member of the City Council a fresh perspective, relevant education, practical skills and experience, and an energetic commitment to the City of Ventura.  I bring with me a lifelong dedication to community and public service and am very excited about the prospects of helping to make Ventura a better city by moving it forward into the future.

I would be most honored to receive your vote in November!

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Doug Halter, 47
Business Owner and Entrepreneur

The entrepreneurial and creative spirit is the essence of what makes Ventura and California great.

With proven leadership and vision, Ventura can be a model of how Cities can simplify government, make policies clearer, protect our environment, and optimize the use of financial resources by using today's tools.  We can use the passion of our citizenry to help enhance the uniqueness of our City and support creativity as an obvious community value; incorporated in our neighborhoods, our streetscape, our architecture, and our cultural offerings.

We have spent years studying; planning and holding workshops resulting in little action while opportunities have been lost.  Police and Fire continue to be under-funded, our streets continue to crumble, businesses are increasingly relocating and taking jobs with them, and even our beaches are cluttered with debris.

We CAN create a better future by electing leaders who offer balance, experience and common sense in decision-making; who understand consequences; who know how to use policies and limited public resources to co-operate with the private sector. Together we can help make Ventura a better-managed, more beautiful City.

I own and operate a successful business and understand budgets and financial constraints. I have a record of strong community involvement including: Rubicon Theatre founding member, Past President of Music Festival, Chamber of Commerce (Citizen of the Year 2001), and Downtown Merchants.

NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION – I ask for your Vote on November 6th.

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Jerry D. Martin, 61
Small Business Owner

I have been fortunate to have been a resident of Ventura for my entire life. Growing up in Ventura, attending our public schools and raising a family here has given me a unique perspective on the changes our city has experienced in the past 60 years.

Ventura is the jewel of the Southern California coast and I feel the City Council has the obligation to manage the growth of our city with intelligent design which will maintain a vibrant economy while preserving our historic and cultural charm.

The city must work closely with our civic groups and Community Councils to promote intelligent growth while preserving our hillsides and open space.

The City Council must find a fresh approach to provide funding to insure the citizens of Ventura receive the best possible services for Public Safety, Street Maintenance, Traffic Management and Senior Services.

We need to adopt a responsible plan for the future of Ventura which will attract new, clean, businesses which will provide strong sustainable economic growth for the City and provide livable wages to our residents.

It is important that we utilize and expand the potential of our arts culture, harbor and beaches to attract visitors to the city. Tourism has the greatest potential for increased revenue for Ventura.

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Christy Weir

It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Ventura as a City Council Member since 2003.

I have lived and worked in Ventura for 22 years, raising a son and daughter here with my husband. As a City Council member and as a founder of the Grant Park Conservancy and Downtown Ventura Organization, board member of the Ventura Music Festival and Council liaison to the Visitor's Bureau and Fair Board, I have used my leadership and team-building skills to generate ideas, clarify goals and help enhance the cultural landscape of Ventura.

I am a lifelong supporter of and participant in the arts. Having recently graduated from CSUCI as an Art major, I am personally grateful for Ventura's growth in the areas of performing and visual arts. For me, arts are a priority-- the core of a healthy society as well as an important source of new revenues. I see government's involvement in the arts as an investment in building a better community.

Ventura is becoming a place where people come for culture. In the areas of theater, dance, music, visual and literary arts, we're making progress because of a talented and dedicated group of artists and supporters. I'm looking forward to continuing to work diligently and creatively with the arts community and the City Council to keep expanding our cultural horizons.

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Other Candidate Statements Coming Soon!