RACHEL JOHNSON & JOSH WYMYCZAK
Staff Writers
The platform of Kathy Wisnicki, one of five candidates running for a seat on the Malibu City Council, emphasizes education, the cleaning of the ocean and public safety. However, the 2008 City Council election has quickly transformed into a campaign process full of accusations and questionable qualifications.
Though many debates were held to discuss topics including education and the environment, the largest issue this year occurred last Thursday (April 3) when an advertisement for Wisnicki and John Sibert appeared in the Malibu Times. The advertisement supports the candidates and quotes Pamela Conley Ulich’s campaign manager, Kelly Meyer. It was later addressed that the quote was not authorized, according to former City Council member Ken Kearsley.
The advertisement also contained a quote in support of Wisnicki and Sibert by Laure Stern, and the ad credited her as the president of the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families. Although Stern has confirmed her quote was approved, it is her husband who is the president of the foundation.
Though Wisnicki has apologized for the mishap, she blamed the error on her Evelyn Jerome, her campaign consultant. Jerome was fired yesterday.
The other candidates, however, are using this incident to question the character of their opponent.
“The opposition has tried to smear her in any way they can through any window because some mistakes were made by other people,” Kearsley said. “It’s sad that the issues aren’t being discussed any more.”
Since the advertisement in the Times, Wisnicki supporters fear that her background and qualifications for the position as City Council member will be overlooked.
“Kathy has a PhD in statistics from UCLA, served on the UCLA faculty and supports the cleaning of the ocean and the building of Legacy Park,” Kearsley said.
Wisnicki is attempting to clear her name by continuing to focus on her political platform, specifically paying attention to educational policies. Throughout the campaigning process, she has stressed how her experience with the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District will allow her to effectively create new policies in Malibu, specifically concentrating on how to implement change in the public school system.
Wisnicki, a native New Yorker, received her master’s in psychology from San Diego State University and then earned her doctorate in research methods and applied statistics from UCLA. She moved to Malibu in 1996 and used her educational background to become an activist for youth in the local school system.
Wisnicki gained recognition for her community involvement, which resulted in participation on the executive board at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School. She served there for five years before shifting to work with the Malibu High Parent Teacher Student Association, where she currently volunteers her time. Wisnicki has held various positions in the school system, ranging from PTA president to the vice president of fundraising.
Wisnicki currently serves as an elected school board member for the SMMUSD, a position that she will abdicate if elected to the Malibu City Council. She uses her position on the school district board as encouragement to Malibu constituents that she possesses the ability to transform the current school structure.
Her goal is to create a separate school district focused solely on Malibu; she believes that currently too many resources are given to Santa Monica schools and not enough are provided for Malibu institutions. Her two children are enrolled at Malibu High Middle School so the issue is not only important to Wisnicki for governmental reasons but because of personal ties as well.
In a press release, Wisnicki identified public safety and protecting the environment as her top concerns alongside education reform.
“[They] are the issues that concern Malibu residents every day, [and] are regional issues. Malibu’s leaders must work collaboratively with elected officials from the municipalities surrounding us to come up with creative and effective solutions,” she said in her press release.
Throughout the campaign Wisnicki has taken a fairly neutral side on most of the controversial issues. In debates, she thrives on assuring that she will consult her fellow Malibu residents and be sure to follow the direction in their best interests.
When asked about the development of the Civic Center, she replied that she believes it is very important to be sure to work with the city and residents to make sure the center is what people want to see.
As far as overnight camping, Wisnicki highlighted that overnight camping has already been approved by the Local Coastal Program, which was approved by Susan Tellem, fellow candidate for the city council.
When the issue of water quality arose, she urged residents to understand that the city is working with four other agencies to perfect the quality of the water. She expressed her hopes that the city will reach out to more agencies to fix the issue.
“The city has made great strides, but needs to work with other agencies,” she said.
With the loss of local businesses becoming a much greater concern of the Malibu residents, Wisnicki assures voters that she has been watching the issue for many years and would like to do something about it. She wants to identify residents’ needs, create a vision for Malibu and address the issue as needed.
However, the incident with the Malibu Times will surely hurt Wisnicki’s campaign. With no time for dust to settle, the latest events in the Malibu City Council election should leave residents with no surprises come election night.
04-03-2008
