Candidate wants voices heard on
Oak Park MAC
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Ronald Rishe

Ronold Rishe has enjoyed the benefits of living in his community for 15 years.

Now he wants to give something back.

Rishe, 46, is one of four candidates running for two vacant seats on the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) in the November election.

A spot on the five-member board takes time and effort and pays nothing in return, but Rishe is willing to serve.

"I have no complaints about our MAC. I think anybody who’s willing to volunteer their time, work for free and help out their community has a good heart," Rishe said.

Rishe, who served two years as a volunteer on the Oak Park Park and Recreation Planning Committee, called himself a "major voice" in obtaining needed playground equipment at Mae Boyer Park, the community’s oldest park.

"I’m very, very pro parks," Rishe said.

"Any money spent on parks I’m in favor. We have wonderful people at Rancho Simi [Recreation and Park District] who maintain our parks and we’re very fortunate in this community. Anybody who walks around and sees how beautiful our parks are I think would agree with me."

Rishe served as chairman of the Oak Park park committee in 1988. His duties also included reviewing plans for the construction of Valley View Park in Oak Park.

Rishe said he looks forward to the completion of Oak Park Community Center and Gardens on Kanan Road, Oak Park’s last planned community park.

And he wants more young voices to be heard at the MAC’s monthly meetings.

Rishe, who has a 14-year-old son, said he would form a teen commission to report regularly to the MAC.

Rishe said that when he moved to Oak Park, the school district had 1,000 students. Now there are more than 3,000, including many teens in need of representation.

"There’s so many bright young people in this community, if we could just get them involved in government somehow."

He said seniors should be encouraged to speak out as well.

"I’d like voices heard that don’t seem to be heard," Rishe said. "Not just a small group of people making decisions. I’d like everyone to have a voice in the community."

Rishe said he’s happy to see the recent improvement in Oak Park’s older streets, but he wants repairs on other streets.

"I’m very happy with the road work that’s been done, but I’d like to see more work proceed. I’m thankful to our congressman for getting that through, and [Ventura County] Supervisor [Frank] Schillo."

Rishe said he plans no active campaigning for the Nov. 7 election. An original resident of the Country Glen homes, Rishe said his familiarity in Oak Park should work in his favor.

Rishe is a machine operator for Verizon in Newbury Park. He’s a member of Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks and has been married to his wife Diane for 19 years.

"I’m a family person above all else," Rishe said.