Corridori’s ‘Lincolnesque’ qualities rembered

By all accounts, Ed Corridori, former mayor of Agoura Hills, is a revered public servant.

After 12 years of service on the Agoura Hills city council, Corridori is stepping down from the city’s dais to pursue other projects. Corridori will leave the city council, but his legacy will live on through the myriad projects he spearheaded over the years.

When Los Angeles Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky compared Corridori to Abraham Lincoln for his understated, yet decisive and measured approach to governing the city of Agoura Hills, the similarity rang true for many.

At the city’s reorganization meeting last week, many officials agreed that Corridori had “Lincolnesque” qualities, from the dignified way in which he conducted himself on the city council, to the sharp intelligence that he used to unify the council and bring complex issues into to focuse.

The residents of Agoura Hills apparently appreciated Corridori’s statesmanship. Mayor Pro Tem Dan Kuperberg noted that Corridori earned the highest number of votes during each of the elections of 1993, 1997 and 2001.

Terilyn Finders, Las Virgenes Unified School District board member, called Corridori a “great man . . . always a gentleman, kind and forthright.”

Corridori said when he first ran for office he wanted a recreation and gymnasium facility built in the community.

“I was part of the Community Center Foundation that had been working toward that goal,” Corridori said. “As I became more involved and more knowledgeable about city affairs, I realized there were lots of other community needs. I felt I could help the city accomplish some of those goals.”

And accomplish them he did. Under his tenure, Corridori achieved many goals, but he credits a team approach to completing so many projects.

“There is no achievement that has not involved the council as a team,” Corridori said. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together.”

He noted a long list of council achievements, including creation of the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center, construction of the Civic Center, the Agoura Village plan, the Kanan Interchange project, beautification measures and open space preservation, especially preserving Ahmanson and SOKA property as permanent open spaceThe historic Reyes Adobe renovation and ensuing Reyes Adobe Days are also high points in Corridori’s civic career, as are the free summer concerts in the park held at Chumash Park. And he said he’s proud that the council has kept the city on a “sound financial footing.”

“When I think about it, it has been a great 12 years with a lot of accomplishments for the city,” he said.

The hardest part of leaving the job for Corridori will be the camaraderie he shared with council members, city staff and many community members.

“There have been some truly remarkable people on our council and city staff, as well as some members of the community who have contributed to the success of our city,” Corridori said.

Keeping an eye on the big picture and focusing on priorities were probably his biggest challenges.

“Council members all have great ideas and ambitious goals or projects for the city,” he said. Since resources and staff time were limited, a team effort was vital.

“But it is difficult to have a great idea or plan that you have to postpone in order to accomplish the goals that the entire team agrees upon,” Corridori said. “This was one reason I felt the ‘City Council Norms’ was an important document and spent a lot of personal time in recording it.”

A resident of Agoura Hills since 1978, Corridori said he looks forward to seeing the proposed Agoura Village and Lindero Creek Park become a reality.

“I would also like to see most of the undeveloped areas on the south side of Agoura Road be retired from development and serve as an urban growth boundary for the city,” he said, adding he hopes all pole signs and billboards will eventually be removed from the city corridor.

Corridori and his wife, Joice, have been married for 38 years and have four sons and nine grandchildren.