Candidate for
Mayor; City of Morro Bay

Colby Crotzer was born in Santa Monica, CA, on Sept. 11, 1946, during the first wave of the post-war Baby Boom. His father was a teacher and school principal on Native American reservations in Arizona and Nevada for 20 years. He also worked in the advertising business for national firms.

Crotzer attended Santa Monica public schools. He has two sisters and one brother. He was president of the student body in junior high school and was active in student affairs and played tackle on the football team in high school.

As a senior at San Diego State University, Crotzer was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement and in community work on social issues. He was interested in promoting public invovlement in global matters and an awareness of America's relationship to the world. He also became concerned about resource allocation and democracy building. Crotzer gained experience in recreational leadership and developing activities for youth.

At Cal State Northridge, where he earned secondary handicapped and learning handicapped specialist certificates, he started working with troubled youth in private schools, mostly those with minority enrollments. He was a demonstration teacher for learning handicapped at the Fernald School.

Crotzer then earned a special education certificate for K-12 English instruction at Fresno State University and a research specialist certificate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Afterward, Crotzer taught school for several years in Hawaii and in a Santa Monica private school before moving to Morro Bay and joining the San Luis Coastal Unified District in 1989.

Over the years, he has worked in residental housing construction, as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, roofer, boat cabinet maker and parks and recreation leader.

He is married to Shoosh Crotzer, and is the father of three children, Brian, who lives in Seattle and has two children; Pine, who lives in Montana, and Caleb, a resident of San Luis Obispo who plans to attend Humboldt State University.

Crotzer was appointed to the Morro Bay Recreation and Parks Commission in 1990 and served for two years until he was elected to the City Council. He was reelected to the Council in 1998 and is currently a member.

While on the Council, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Equal Opportunities Commission and has been the city's representative to the National Estuary Program's policy committee as an alternate. He was deeply involved in the preparation of the NEP's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for improving the health of the Morro Estuary, which has been submitted to Gov. Gray Davis and the Environmental Protection Agency for final approval and implementation.