Council Candidates Stress Development

In a city with a reputation for being unfriendly to business, economic development is the most prominent issue in the campaign for City Council seats.

Incumbents Ed Corridori and Denis Weber will vie with challengers Michael Forney, Jeff Reinhardt and Jerry Wolf for three seats on the council in Tuesday’s election.

All five candidates say the city’s bad business reputation is undeserved and believe development of quality retail and commercial ventures is the key to the city’s financial future.

Corridori, 54, the owner of a printing company, said that although there is a “lot of pressure to develop right now,” it must be tempered with care to ensure that it is right for the city.

“I don’t think we have to compromise our standards,” he said. The city should hold out for development that will be sustained decades from now, he said. Corridori is seeking his second term on the council.

Forney, 36, a shopping center assistant manager, said the council needs to “take a hard look at where it’s going” and be aggressive in bringing development to the city.

Echoing the sentiments of some area anti-tax groups, he also said the city must find ways to develop revenue sources other than taxation.

Reinhardt, 47, a marketing executive, said that after three terms as a planning commissioner, he wants a seat on the City Council to help guide the city’s financial future.

He advocates working closely with developers to ensure that their projects meet city standards and to maintain the quality of life in the area. “I have no qualms about asking [developers] to show us their best,” he said.

Wolf, 49, a certified public accountant, said that he entered the race this year because he thought his background in finance would be an asset to the city because its finances are the most pressing issue.

He said he would accomplish three things in the coming years: beautify the gateways to the city, create a skateboard park and install an electronic message board at the corner of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Kanan Road to stop the posting of handbills there.

Weber, 54, a bank vice president, said that instead of waiting for developers to come to the city, staff members and city leaders should court businesses to bring in the best.

He also said development should be careful and consistent with the city’s natural surroundings. The city must attract established developers who have a history of working with cities and with residents to build quality projects, said Weber, who is also seeking his second term.