Fifty-four candidates will appear on the ballot for this year’s Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council election to fill all 21 seats on the council.
The Grass Roots Venice election is scheduled between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, September 10th and 11th, at Venice High School, 13000 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista.
Parking is available at the school.
The Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council was certified by the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) in March 2002.
The Neighborhood Council has not held an official meeting since November, after the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment ruled last year that the council had no quorum for its last election.
The city Board of Neighborhood Commissioners instructed the department to draft procedures for a new Neighborhood Council election rather than abolishing the Neighborhood Council.
In late June, the city Board of Neighborhood Commissioners approved the election procedures for this year’s Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council election.
Four election outreach events were held in late July and throughout August to allow candidates to register for the election and stakeholders to register to vote.
Eligible voters include anyone who lives, works or owns property within the Grass Roots Neighborhood Council boundaries.
In addition, anyone participating in various organizations within the boundaries of the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council may vote in the election.
Persons at least 16 years old or a junior or senior in high school are eligible to register to vote.
Voters must also bring a valid credential, such as a current driver’s license or California residency card to the election site in order to vote.
Other valid credentials are listed on the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council Web site, www.grvnc.org
Twenty-one seats, including seven executive committee seats, seven at-large seats and seven district seats, are open in the election.
Candidates for the seven executive committee seats include:
n President (one-year term): Leila Jean Levi
DeDe Audet
Jim Smith
n Vice President (one-year term):
Naomi Nightingale
n Second Vice President (one-year term):
Don Geagan
Yoland Gonzalez
Levi Meir Clancy
n Government Relations (one-year term):
L.J. Carusone
John R. Michael
Alan Ross
n Secretary (two-year term):
Phil Raider
Alice Stek
n Treasurer (two-year term):
Edward Ferrer
C.J. Cole
n Communications (two-year term):
Richard Myers
Erin Grayson
The candidates for the seven at-large seats include:
n At-large (two-year term):
Stewart Oscars
Rick Selan
Colette Bailey
Joseph Gross
Melanie Berry
Diana Pollard
Vessy Mink
Lisa Ezell
Lowell Safier
Linda Lucks
Rob Stone
Kelley S. Willis
Michael King
Peter R. Force
Rebecca E. Tafoya
Karl Abrams
Candidates for the seven one-year term district seats include:
n District 1 (Penmar/Lincoln Place):
Ingrid Mueller
n District 2 (Rose/North Beach):
Susan Papadakis
Jan Sproull
Gwen Howard
Jamie Cantor Ginsberg
n District 3 (Central Venice/Oakwood):
Amber Hartgens
Tom Chou
Brian O’Connell
Stan Muhammad
Edward Dabbs
n District 4 (South of Palms/East of Lincoln):
Mindy Taylor-Ross
Jill Prestup
n District 5 (Windward Circle/Abbot Kinney/Milwood/Walk Streets):
Sylviane Dungan
Howard Saxe
Cynthia McGuineas
n District 6 (Oxford Triangle/Silver Triangle/President’s Row):
Howard J. Wiggett
Jeffrey J. Fritz
Challis MacPherson
n District 7 (Canals/Peninsula/South Beach/Silver Strand):
Sunny Bak
Brett Miller
Nicole F. Midwin
Junius “Jerry” Browne
For more information, www.grvnc.org “2005 Election link,” or (310) 305-1022.
