Westlake residents back Ned Davis

Throughout the many years of our volunteering efforts associated with the Las Virgenes Unified School District, we have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Ned Davis.

Ned is a strong leader and in his role as vice president of the Las Virgenes Education Foundation, he has been a positive force for all the schools in our district.

Always innovative, passionate, and highly accessible, Ned is a "go-to guy" and a dynamic problem-solver. For example, Ned was instrumental in the creation of all-new LVUSD school websites, launching Yerba Buena's bright new site first and promising more to come.

Everyone will benefit when Ned Davis joins the City Council of Westlake Village. Westlake citizens can rest assured that Ned is serving their interests well, just as he has served the needs and concerns of our children in LVUSD. Marcia Bhattacharya, Westlake Angela Cutbill, Agoura Hills Penny Sylvester, Agoura Hills

Westlake Village has been through a tough ballot initiative election with emotions and accusations still riding high. It is time to move forward and start fresh with new ideas and new energy.

The one person that will bring that to this city is Ned Davis. Mr. Davis is a proven leader with a dedication to his neighbors, to his fellow community members, to his coworkers and most importantly to his family.

I have had the pleasure of serving as a volunteer on the Westlake Village Cultural Recreational Advisory Board with Ned for the past several years. What I can tell you is that he is full of passion, full of ideas and full of energy. He has a common sense approach to issues and situations which sets him apart from the field. He is a man of integrity and dedication and cares about each and every one of us in the City of Westlake Village.

Ned is a loving husband and a caring father of children that have been raised in our city and in our schools. Ned has a personal interest in the future of our schools and has expressed his ideas and willingness to make a difference. Please join me on Nov. 6 and vote for a man who is willing to make a difference, Mr. Ned Davis. Curt Knabe Westlake Village

We're all off to the polls soon and we have some important decisions to make. As we listen to the candidates, scan their brochures and read the letters to The Acorn, surprisingly they all pretty much agree on most of the issues.

The biggest issue and the most subjective is each candidate's fervent desire to "keep the village in Westlake." But how do we do that? How do we keep this city small when we all have big wishes? How do we limit growth without choking off the means to do all of the things that cost a lot of money?

And most importantly how do we deal with issues that do divide the community? How do we insure that we know we're not only being told the truth but that our council is being open minded and not being influenced by where they live or who they know? How do we know that they are looking at not what their decision means today but 10 and even 20 years from now?

I've had the pleasure of living here for the past 18 years. But I've also lived in quite a few other areas and have visited many of the country's large and small cities and I can assure you Westlake Village is the best. To keep it that way we need to remember that we are not an island isolated from the rest of the area. We need council members who are honest and have all of the current skills, both education and relevant experience.

Because of those reasons I wholeheartedly endorse Ned Davis for city council. If you carefully examine each candidate's skills, ability and experience, I am sure you will come to the same conclusion. Don Rosenberg Westlake Village

Westlake Village gets its revenue from sales and hotel occupancy taxes. The results from enterprises like Costco and Westlake Village Inn are healthy reserves which make the city financially sound. While Carol and Ray Kirschbaum point to these reserves as proof we do not need new businesses, they are the ones who vigorously fought against income-producing projects from Costco forward. Costco dollars will shrink significantly with the new Newbury Park location and Lowe's dollars ($750 million annually) are now going elsewhere, along with longer drives for our residents.

We will get virtually no revenue from the new offices (over twice the size of Lowe's) in the same spot. We also lost $1 million offered by Lowe's for city beautification projects, which Carol believes are currently inadequate. Westlake needs all its reserves and more to address its current and upcoming needs.

Lowe's was not across the street from Four Seasons, as Carol and Ray said, and also not 3.4 million additional car trips. Now we will have 367,000 square feet of offices plus 480,000 square feet going in on Townsgate. Just check these rush hours in the future.

Money does not grow on trees; trees grow in Westlake Village if we have money. Philippa Klessig understands this and wisely chose what was in the best interests of the residents. She listens to all views and considers all positions.

Ned Davis has the same mindset. His significant involvement during the past 11 years demonstrates his commitment and also his effective and thoughtful leadership. Long-term community leadership is not the case for the other candidates.

It is our responsibility to move forward wisely and make the best longterm decisions for our wonderful community. We just believe that being against virtually every new project is not the right choice for our City Council members. David Catlin Westlake Village