Vote the slate

I am a long-time Thousand Oaks resident who has watched this city grow from a rural town of 1,500 in l954 to our present population of over 120,000. Over the years, we have had a succession of city council members guiding this expansion, most of who thankfully kept the vision of a desirable suburban area ahead of personal gain.

However, even the most well-intentioned individuals when showered with money and accolades from developers and others from out-of-town hoping to use our pristine hills and valleys for big profits often forget or abandon their initial campaign promises in an effort to please their biggest contributors and stay in office.

When this happens, they no longer listen to the concerns and ideas of the current residents and small business owners, and in time, as additional tracts of huge houses are built on tiny lots within hand-shaking distance of each other, and as mega-shopping centers and warehouses are built adjacent to them, the area becomes less and less desirable.

The developers are then long-gone, as are the dreams of so many families who worked hard to buy into a community they were assured would remain a clean, healthy and beautiful place to live.

It is only my extreme concern for the future of Thousand Oaks that prompts me to finally become an "activist" for change, and to urge support for the slow-growth slate. Yes, the term "slate" is old-fashioned, but the only old-fashioned trait they share is their dedication to preserving the quality of life in our Conejo Valley.

I have come to know Claudia Bill-de La Peña, Laura Lee Custodio and Michael Farris as honest, genuine advocates for slow (smart) growth, who have made it a point of honor not to become obligated to anyone in the "you-take-care-of-me-I’ll-take-care-of-you old-boys’ network" that exists in our community. Their support comes from the thousands of small contributions donated by residents looking for fair solutions to traffic, pollution and congestion, and from forward-looking business owners who understand that the success of their companies is proportionate to the health of the city around them.

Because of these reasons, I hope you will consider bringing in a "slate" of fair, accessible and hard-working public servants to our City Council: Custodio, Farris and Bill-de La Peña for the 4-year terms, and Bob Wilson for 2 years.

Sheri Powell White

Thousand Oaks