In Agoura Hills council race, Thomas says third time’s a charm




George Thomas

George Thomas


Letters

Having unsuccessfully run for the Agoura Hills City Council in 2001 and 2003, George Christopher Thomas hopes that his third bid for a city seat will be the charm.

The city council election is Nov. 8. Three seats are open and only one incumbent—Denis Weber—is vying for another term. Agoura Hills Mayor Ed Corridori and Councilmember Jeff Reinhardt are stepping down after decades of public service between them.

Thomas, 28, is small business owner who says he’s run for office three times because the city council and planning commission “have not done their job.”

“I feel the people of Agoura Hills want and deserve better from their elected officials,” said Thomas, pointing out that the councilmembers and planning commissioners have approved too many office buildings in Agoura Hills. “The city is already saturated with office space—much of which remains empty—generating little revenue for the city and little benefit for our residents.”

Jim Thorsen, assistant city manager, said the city’s office vacany rate has come down.

If elected, Thomas said that he would not approve office buildings for development, improve the city’s relationship with the school district, and make Agoura Hills more “business friendly so we could attract more business opportunities.”

Thomas said he would allocate money directly to the school district and schools, as well as lobby corporations and businesses to match educational foundation funds for specific programs.

Thomas doesn’t believe that the money distributed to the schools through the Agoura Hills Redevelopment Agency (RDA) is enough, and worries that the majority of the city budget is spent on public safety. He says Los Angeles county should be credited with providing the RDA money, not the city.

Thomas also supports open space acquisition and said if he had to choose between the development of an office complex or open space, he would choose open space.

Thomas hopes to improve his chances of winning by spending more on his campaign. In 2003, Thomas said he spent $4,000, but will spend $10,000 of his own money this year.

Thomas, who worked as a staff member for U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, claims he was instrumental in obtaining federal funds for the Kanan interchange project.

“I met with Congressman Waxman’s transportation staffer, as well as Senator Barbara Boxer’s transportation aide and Senator Dianne Feinstein’s representative,” he said. “I also sponsored a letter writing campaign in Agoura Hills and the surrounding communities to contact our federal officials and let them know how important supporting federal funding for the Kanan-101 interchange is for the Conejo Valley and the entire area.”

Dan Kuperburg, a current city council member, offers a different opinion.

“We city officials have had extensive, formal meetings in Washington and Agoura Hills with Congressman Waxman and his staff,” Kuperberg said. “Never once has anyone other than George Thomas mentioned that George Thomas is involved in the process,” he added. “I would be surprised if he had any major affect. We’re always happy to have everyone help. I don’t know if he really did.”

But Thomas’ tenacity is his strength.

When asked if he would ever give up his bid for city council, Thomas said, “As B.C. Forbes once said, ’History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.’”

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