Candidate returns to his hometown, wants to serve on Westlake Council
By Lori Porter
Acorn Staff Writer

Jim Bruno

A candidate for Westlake Village City Council says he’s ready to serve the city.

On Election Day, Tues., Nov. 4, voters will decide two seats on the city council. Three are running.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Bruno moved with his family to Westlake Village in 1966. Bruno and his two sisters reinforced strong family ties to the city by remaining in Westlake after marrying and raising their own families.

A financial planner and tax accountant, Bruno, along with his wife, Diane, and their three children lived in the Thousand Oaks portion of Westlake Village for many years. With all three children out of the nest and pursuing their own careers, Bruno and his wife returned to the city of Westlake Village, coincidentally just hours before the filing deadline in the city council race. It wasn’t until after the move that Bruno was strongly encouraged by friends to run for city council.

His experience as chairman of the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission has given him an edge, Bruno said. He has practical knowledge on preserving open space and working on land issues, he said.

"Since the two cities are heavily interrelated, I’d hope that my tie to Thousand Oaks would allow me to be kind of an ambassador to go back there and plead Westlake’s case for more equitable sharing of costs that resulted from development in Thousand Oaks," said Bruno.

Bruno said the top priority is listening to the people. He takes his marching orders from them, he said. His No. 1 concern, Bruno said, is providing leadership and meeting the needs of voters.

Recognizing that Westlake Village has a strong balance sheet and is sound financially, Bruno intends to keep that reputation through his knowledge as a financial planner.

Bruno hopes to even improve Westlake Village, he said. Future success depends on, Bruno said, joint use agreements inside and outside the borders of the city.

"We must partner with our private sector, schools and all governmental agencies." Bruno said. "Our well-being depends upon our ability to collaborate with our neighboring cities."

Among other concerns, Bruno wants to be aggressive about preserving open space. More importantly, the general plan for Westlake Village needs to be updated, according to Bruno. Changes in the city’s demographics, attitudes and needs have changed since the last update in 1993, he said.

"We need a formal report card from our constituents." said Bruno.

Bruno describes himself as a conservative moderate with strong community and family values. He’d like to see a senior center in Westlake Village. He also wants more programs for all other constituents.