Kirschbaum's the voice of the people

We have been frustrated for some time about the development that has happened in Westlake Village. Putting people first has not been the priority when sidewalks are made narrower and bus stops are inaccessible and inhospitable for the handicapped under the "beautification committee."

Developers seem to be in control when we end up with Four Seasons' "great wall" at our city entrance facing the mismatch of the Marriott hotel with the Dakota Steakhouse next to it. Westlake residents recently had to unite in mass to overwhelmingly veto many council members' endorsement of a Lowe's hardware store on another corner.

Carol Kirschbaum bravely steps up as a candidate for a council seat in the Nov. 6 election. Take a look at Westlake Island entrance on La Venta that Carol, working with another, helped create. It is beautiful, well-designed and people-friendly, and Westlake Village's inherent beauty is protected.

Now visit the city-developed park alongside the WLMA office on Triunfo. In overgrown shrubbery in a neglected garden, the public lake-viewing bench faces away from the lake toward a bronze city plaque, heavily trafficked Triunfo and a shale cliff. Is there a message here?

Carol Kirschbaum wants Westlake Village to have a professional planning committee to identify and protect both our residents' needs and a desired citywide look and work with developers to fit our plan, not the other way around. With Lot C and the proposal for a development almost twice the size of Lowe's at the old hospital site in the heart of Westlake, this is more urgent than ever.

A landslide win for Carol would send a clear message that residents want more thoughtful planning that protects residents' quality of life before we lose all of what we moved here for.
Andrea Lehert
Westlake Village