Five Candidates Qualify for April 8 City Council Race

BY BILL KOENEKER

Five candidates’ names will appear on the April 8 ballot, according to the Malibu city clerk’s office, which verified nominating papers submitted two weeks ago. “All five qualified,” said City Clerk Lisa Pope, who said the next opportunity for any council hopefuls is the filing period for write-in candidates from Feb. 11 to March 25. Three council seats are up for grabs.
The five who qualified are Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich, Malibu Planning Commissioner John Sibert, activists Jefferson Wagner and Susan Tellem, and school district board member Kathy Wisnicki.
There will also be two other items on the municipal ballot, including a non-binding advisory measure to see if voters want the city to consider a view protection ordinance and a utility users tax that would expand the city’s ability to tax cell phone calls.
When the candidates submitted nominating papers, they also included statements describing why they were seeking office and their qualifications.
Tellem, 63, who owns a public relations firm, indicated that with 30 years experience as a successful business owner and public relations executive she has the tools and experience needed to lead and make decisions for successful outcomes.
Conley Ulich said she wants “civility and professionalism in local government” and has worked to ensure that government is responsive and respectful “of all Malibu residents.”
Conley Ulich, 41, ticked off a laundry list of accomplishments during her last four years in office, including defeating the LNG facility, acquiring Legacy Park and Bluffs Park, arts and cultural accomplishments, spearheading work showing underpayments to the Malibu Library and showing fiscal responsibility by increasing the city’s reserve accounts to $11 million among other achievements.
Wisnicki, 45, completed her doctorate in Applied Statistics and Education and worked as a researcher at UCLA. For more than three years, Wisnicki has represented Malibu on the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District board including a term as president.
Sibert, 70, has a PhD in chemistry and has been a professor and administrator at Yale, Caltech and California State University.
Wagner, 55, who lists his occupation as pytrotechnician and business owner including owning and operating the Zuma Jay Surfshop since 1975. He became a reserve deputy sheriff in the 1980s and as a surfer “led efforts to clean up coastal waters from uncontrolled development.”
Former head of the Malibu Chamber of Commerce Ed Gillespie, along with Ryan Embree and Wade Major, did not return their papers and briefly discussed why.
Gillespie said family complications keep him from running in the 2008 race. “I’m really disappointed. I have been talking about this since the last election,” he said. Gillespie, who said he thought he had a good chance this year, said he is determined to take another shot at it and will aim for the city council race in 2010.
Wade Major, who wrote a lengthy missive about his endorsement of better qualified candidates, said, “After much deliberation, I have elected to withdraw myself from the forthcoming election.” He endorsed Conley Ulich, Wisnicki and Sibert.
Embree said his personal life and business will keep him too busy to run in 2008. “There were a lot of people who encouraged me to run this year,” he said. “I intend to endorse Susan Tellem and Jefferson Wagner. Malibu needs independent council members that don’t take orders from Sharon Barovsky.”