Candidate for
Council Member; City of Rancho Palos Verdes

I am currently the Mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes and have been a Council member since 2011.

I graduated from USC in 1971 with honors and participated in a unique program called Urban Studies which provided an in-depth look at what makes a community work and lessons learned at that time continue to shape my view of the ideal community.

I moved to RPV with my wife Lorraine, daughter Rose and family dog Champ because I felt RPV had all of the qualities that make up that ideal community: excellent schools; abundant open space; safe neighborhoods; and the quality of the people who also claimed this city their home. I have been and always will be committed to making sure this remains the best place to live in the South Bay.

One of my core beliefs is that I take responsibility for myself, my decisions and the world I live in. My long list of community service exemplifies that I am person of action that will implement that core belief.

Here is a list of some of the positions of responsibility.

Current community service:

RPV Council member, currently Mayor

1st Vice President of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments

Governing Board Member of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission

Member of the Santa Monica Bay Watershed Advisory Council

Board Member of two Sanitation Districts

League of California Cities voting Delegate

Past Community service:

2004-2011 RPV Planning Commissioner, Chair 2006-2007

2007-2009 Developed the RPV Green Building Program in conjunction with Planning Staff

2008- 2011 Member of South Bay Council of Government's Green Task Force

2002-2004 Co-Chair of the Open Space, Recreation and Parks Task Force to update the Parks Master Plan. Chair of the Open Space Subcommittee, member of the Upper Point Vicente subcommittee

2002-2004 Executive Committee member of the PV/Southbay Chapter of the Sierra Club

2003 Conservation Service award from the Sierra Club

2002 Conservation Award from the Palos Verdes/ South Bay Chapter of Audubon Society

2002 Certificate of Recognition from Senator Betty Karnette for commitment to conservation efforts in RPV

2002 Worked on Goals Report for General Plan Update

2000-2001- Developed alternative habitat preservation/trail plan for Upper Point Vicente. With help of SOC II (City Founders) ultimately saved this public space for all of our residents. Later help the Terranea resort with a state-of-the-art environmental design.

1997-2004 Involved with formation of the Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP)

Business experience

In addition to having the commitment and experience to preserve our natural open spaces, I also have extensive business experience. I have more than 40 years business experience in the real estate development field including contracting, legal and financial transactions.

I specialized in preserving the historic buildings in the Venice area and quickly found that not only did I not waste resources by recycling older buildings but, because of the cultural value and charm of these historic buildings, I was getting the same rent per square foot as my colleagues did with their more wasteful and expensive "tear down and build new" approach. I am an alternative thinker and created a niche in the industry that was a win-win: not only was it profitable but I helped preserve the cultural heritage of a community.

My business experience as taught me many lessons that I can bring to the table as your representative.

I believe informed decision makers make informed decisions: get the facts straight; strive for clarity; get the input from independent outside sources including the many talented and intelligent residents of RPV; respectfully deliberate the issue with fellow Council members; and once a decision is made let the public know why you have made that decision.

As a retired businessman, I now have the time to devote to the demanding job of Councilman and would be honored to once again be your representative.