When Thousand Oaks residents head to the polls Nov. 4, they will have seven candidates to choose from for two open seats on the City Council.
The field includes two incumbents, Mayor Jacqui Irwin and Councilman Tom Glancy, and five challengers: Al Adam, Greg Akrey, Holly LaRue, Ernest LeGault and Ramaul Rush.
Among the major issues candidates are focusing on are the city's economy, development and the revitalization of Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
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Ernest LeGault
In the 10 years Ernest LeGault has lived in Thousand Oaks, he has watched the city change.
He says the city stands at the crossroads of what it once was — a sleepy bedroom community with plenty of land available to develop — to a complete, viable city that will require maintenance and ways to sustain itself without its previous reliance on developer fees.
LeGault wants to help guide it into the future. LeGault, who owns a small business, said that with development dollars drying up, the city needs to work with area businesses that pump money into the local economy.
"My focus is on making sure that we support the small and medium-size businesses that will keep the revenue dollars here in Thousand Oaks," he said, adding that one way to achieve that is "take to heart when small and medium-size businesses have requests before the city."
LeGault said the council should develop better communication with business people, including those on Thousand Oaks Boulevard as they develop plans for a revitalization effort.
As those plans are reviewed in the future, LeGault said it is important to recognize that the boulevard is not a single block. He also said that he does not oppose the idea of mixed-use development on the boulevard.
"I am 100 percent behind the idea of mixed use provided the areas that would be (mixed use) appropriately accommodate that," LeGault said. "There are places where mixed use would be ridiculous and other places where it would be perfectly suited."
From a fiscal standpoint, LeGault said any program the city considers funding should be vetted thoroughly enough to show that it will be able to sustain itself for years.
LeGault, president of the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra Board of Directors, said he would also like to see bus routes improved — such as a route that travels the length of Moorpark Road — and the development of more recreation opportunities, like a skate rink or bowling alley, for young people.
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