Westlake Village City Council candidate promises ‘More of What We Moved Here For’

By Lori Porter Acorn Staff Writer

Philippa Klessig

One of the candidates for city council in Westlake Village is Philippa Klessig, a woman with 14 years of experience serving the city of Westlake Village through a variety of community, city and school committees.

Voters in Westlake Village will have a choice among three candidates for two open seats on the city council this November.

Klessig’s campaign slogan is "More of What We Moved Here For," which represents her goal of more structure in the city’s recreational programs. She also wants more cultural events.

Klessig also wants more contact with neighboring communities, more business partnerships and possibly a sister city in close proximity to Westlake. "We need to think regionally and act locally," Klessig said. "Maybe we can pay for a park somewhere else, but close enough for us to use."

To stay ahead, she said, city leaders must always look ahead. "This is one of the reasons Westlake Village is such a thriving city—its leaders are farsighted."

But while the city’s vision might be good, Westlake Village’s hearing needs improvement, according to Klessig. "The city has a slow response time to the needs of the community."

She compared Westlake Village residents to a classroom of students with different learning styles, adding that people in a given community rely on different ways to get information. "So make different types of communication available," Klessig said.

Her background in successful business building has nurtured a "can do" attitude, she said, giving her the courage to make important decisions. She said she’ll be an asset to the city council.

Born in Boulder, Colo., Klessig moved with her family to Goleta when she was 12 and later attended college at nearby U.C. Santa Barbara, earning a bachelor of arts degree in psychology.

She met her husband in 1974 and the two married six years later. The Klessigs have three children (two stepdaughters, Carol and Lynnette, from her husband’s previous marriage, and a daughter together, Calla, a junior at the Maryland Institute of Art).

Together the Klessigs have started up many businesses, including Tour Wholesale Company, which was later purchased by former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth.

Additionally, Klessig helped her husband to begin and manage Enterprise Solutions Limited, Inc., an office communications software company that was the 51st fastest growing company on the Inc. magazine top 500 list in 1996.

A Westlake Village resident since 1989, Klessig has served as a member of the Westlake Village Park Commission and the Community Service Grand Fund Committee, in addition to being campaign chairperson for former city council members.

She has also served as a member of the school site council for White Oak Elementary. Klessig directed the Great Works of Art program and was a leader of Odyssey of the Mind Educational Program at White Oak.

Additionally Klessig has served on community committees such as Westlake Yacht Club’s Charity Regatta. She’s worked with several worthy causes in the local area.

"Philippa is a successful businesswoman with great leadership skills," said Westlake Village City Councilwoman Betty DeSantis, who’s stepping down. "Westlake Village will be well served by her presence on the council. I could not have handpicked a better candidate."

Klessig plans to start her own landscape design company while enjoying, she said, the flexibility and gifts that come later in life, such as her two granddaughters and one grandson.