Full Biography for Gary Thompson

Candidate for
Council Member; Proposed City of Rancho Santa Margarita

I am a Federal civilian manager employed in the field of naval ship repair, currently serving as the deputy director of the Dept. of the Navy's submarine maintenance facility in San Diego, managing maintenance and repairs performed on San Diego based nuclear submarines. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Calif. State University, Long Beach.

I also serve in many civic capacities having been active in community volunteer activities for over 12 years:

- Rancho Santa Margarita Cityhood Committee- I currently serve on the Executive Board, elected annually by the membership, as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of this non-profit public benefit corporation. The purpose of the Cityhood Committee is to provide the financial and legal mechanism for processing the cityhood proposal and application through the governmental process to ballot.

- Rancho Santa Margarita Civic Council- The Civic Council is a 7 member community body elected annually by the residents of Rancho Santa Margarita. The Council is responsible for providing community representation to the County Board of Supervisors for all governmental matters affecting the community in the absence of a current sitting city council. I currently serve on the Council as a member at large.

- RSM Civic Council Planning Advisory Committee- member- This committee has been designated by resolution of the Orange County Board of Supervisors to act as the official community advisory body to the county planning commission on all development projects in Rancho Santa Margarita. In this capacity, I have been active in promoting and facilitating a wide range of community development endeavors including the on-going planning and land procurement for the regional inter-generational community center, and approval and construction of the future Tijeras Creek Elementary School and adjacent park/sports fields.

- RSM Economic Development Committee- Cityhood Committee representative- The Economic Development Committee is comprised of representatives from the RSM Cityhood Committee, the RSM Civic Council and the RSM Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the committee is to liaison with RSM's master developer, Benchmark Realty (formerly RSM Management Company) in the promotion of the business development of the community.

- Santa Margarita Water District Citizen's Advisory Board- member- The advisory board provides consumer oriented advice and recommendations to the SMWD Board of Directors on policy matters.

I am a former Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation (SAMLARC), Rancho Santa Margarita's master homeowner's association, having served for 5 years from 1993 until 1998. The SAMLARC Board of Directors are elected annually by the membership. At the conclusion of my tenure, the membership stood at approximately 11,000 residential units.

For additional info visit http://www.pacrsm.org