MICHELLE McKINLEY & JULIS NAVARRO
Staff Writers
As busy as Malibu City Council candidate Susan Tellem is, she still manages to rescue abandoned tortoises with her husband, run a national public relations agency and teach as an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University. Tellem has been a Malibu resident since 1997 and has since been voicing her concerns about the community, most recognizably in her letters to the editor in the Malibu Times. Tellem said that she is running for Malibu City Council to add diversity of opinion to the issues affecting Malibu.
Tellem is married to Marshall Thompson, who is a video producer. She has four grown children: sons John and Dan and daughters Tori and Laura. Included in the family are 10 sheep and two goats who instinctively trim the yard at the “Tellem ranchette.”
Tellem started out of college as a registered nurse, but said she learned much about her current profession, public relations, in one night. When the opportunity arose for a public relations position at a surgery center, Tellem jumped at the chance, and a friend of hers gave her a crash course in public relations overnight. She has been running her own company, Tellem Worldwide, for thirty years now and has enlisted her two sons as partners.
In 1990, Tellem and her husband co-founded the American Tortoise Rescue, a non-profit organization that rescues and rehabilitates tortoises and turtles. Over 3,000 of these reptiles owe their lives to the group. Tellem explained that she even hand feeds many of the injured turtles. “I’ve always been an animal person, ever since I was a little girl,” she said.
In addition, Tellem is a current member of the Medical Reserve Corps of Los Angeles and a Reserve Office Specialist. She also served as the primary public relations spokesperson for the district attorney in the Michael Jackson molestation case.
Tellem has had to juggle her successful career, four kids and humanitarian work for years, which she believes has prepared her for a seat on the council. Tellem is running as a candidate who is not only passionate but who is also well versed on the issues that concern Malibu residents.
One of these issues is overnight camping in the Santa Monica Mountains. Tellem has been against the idea because of the possible threat to safety it poses. According to Tellem there is only one path that leads in and out of the area in which the camping would take place. In case of a fire campers would have trouble trying to escape the flames.
When it comes to splitting the Santa Monica and Malibu School Districts, Tellem is for it. “We [Malibu residents] pay about 60% of the revenue that goes into the district yet we only receive 40% of it back, “Tellem said.
If elected, the issue that Tellem would like to tackle first is public safety. She is concerned with the fact that Malibu has no evacuation plan and that there is, “basically only one way in and out of the city.” Tellem views Malibu’s low water supply and new development projects as a threat to the city’s safety as well.
Although Tellem is not against development she believes that development should be restricted and that Malibu residents should have a say in what is built. “Development will bring more traffic to the city,” Tellem said.
She believes that the small business owners of Malibu contribute to what makes Malibu so great. Tellem viewed the loss of the lumber yard as a tragedy because of what it implies for the future, “Malibu residents don’t care about [name brand] stores, they want to shop at places where they can feel a personal connection.”
According to Tellem land for new business owners would cost $25 per square foot, while current business owners pay $3 a square foot.
As an environmentalist Tellem would like to lower the amount of pollution that exists in Malibu. She argues that plastic bags and containers ruin the city’s image but also pose a threat to animals, “I have often seen plastic bags floating around the PCH as well as hanging from trees,” Tellem said.
When asked what her biggest supporter would say about her Tellem said, “My biggest fan would be my husband. He would say that I bring ethical and moral standards that the city council currently lacks. He believes that as a good negotiator, I would bring a voice to Malibu residents.”
“They don’t like that I have written what they would call ‘hostile’ letters to the editor about the council,” Tellem replied when asked what her detractors would say about her, “but those letters aren’t mean, they simply point out efficiency so that it can be fixed.”
Susan Tellem is a candidate for change. She sincerely believes that she can make a difference and bring a real voice to Malibu residents.
04-03-2008
