Campaign season kicks off in T.O.
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

The campaign season in Thousand Oaks is officially open, with nine candidates confirmed for three open city council seats. Voters will decide who will fill those seats on Nov. 7.

The nomination period closed last Friday. The term length of each post is four years.

The contenders include three incumbents: Mayor Dennis Gillette, 66, seeking his third term; Claudia Bill-de la Pea, 39, hoping for a second term, and Andy Fox, seeking a fourth term.

Gillette, a resident of the city for 43 years, was one of the first police officers in Thousand Oaks. Bill-de la Pea, a television news writer, served as mayor last year. Bill-de la Pea has lived in the city for 11 years. No biography was available on Fox, according to the city elections representative.

The challengers include a business owner, an educator and a financial consultant.

John Glen DiGuiseppe, 44, is a financial consultant and organizer of the local annual neighborhood watch program. He has been a Thousand Oaks resident for 20 years.

Semi-retired insurance broker Jerry B. Goldman, 53, is a member of the Disaster Response Team and has lived in the city for 26 years.

Business owner/investment manager Louis Edward Masry, 40, is president of the Agoura/ Oak Park/Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce and recently moved to Thousand Oaks from Moorpark.

Elaine C. McKearn is a former Conejo Valley Unified School District board member and teacher and has lived in the community for 20 years.

Janet Miller Wall, 52, is currently chair of the city's Planning Commission. She has resided in Thousand Oaks for 20 years.

Cisco's restaurant owner Bob Wilson, 68, is a former mayor and a 30-year resident.

The Thousand Oaks Acorn will run more in-depth profiles on each of the candidates during the coming weeks prior to the election.

For more information on the candidates visit the city website at www.toaks.org.