That case involved Stanley D. Greene, Fillmore's former city manager, who was accused of sexually harassing three female co-workers. He resigned after the city agreed to pay him $95,000 to void his 2 1/2-year contract, which Greene himself had written. Greene claims he was the victim of a conspiracy.
Uniting Latinos
Ernest J. Morales, 53, a program analyst at Pacific Missile Test Center at Point Mugu, is a former Fillmore mayor and 16-year member of the City Council. Morales, who left public office 4 years ago, was the last Latino city councilman. He said he is running again because the council "has disappointed a lot of individuals in town."
Morales would like to unite the Latino community under his leadership. Already, Morales said, he has helped register 250 voters--most of them Latino--in a voter registration drive last month.
The former mayor said he favors controlled commercial growth in accordance with an updated general plan that would bring in industry along the California 126 corridor. He also wants to revitalize downtown Fillmore. As for residential growth, Morales said, the city "needs to look at the overall impact not only on public services but on the school system."
Terry Metzler, 39, is president of Fillmore Volunteer Services, a United Way agency that distributes food, medical help and counseling to needy residents. Metzler also runs a desk-top publishing business from her home.
She said she favors building a new sewer system and televising City Council meetings. She said that the Horizon contract is poorly thought out and that Fillmore's master plan should encompass land outside the city's sphere of influence. Like the other candidates, Metzler opposes building a card club or an industrial air park in Fillmore.
Incumbent Touts Experience
Incumbent Councilman Roger Campbell, 38, owns an auto repair shop and is assistant chief of Fillmore's volunteer fire department. He also is a vice president of the Tri-County division of the League of California Cities.
Campbell said he has gained valuable experience during his 4 years on the City Council. After Greene's resignation, Campbell said, he instigated new employment guidelines and background checks of applicants.
If reelected, Campbell said, he would establish neighborhood planning boards to help control growth in Fillmore.
"My vision is to maintain this community as the last rural refuge of Southern California," Campbell said. "We want to maintain the valley as the 'garden spot' of Ventura County with a growth rate of 3% a year."
Campbell also opposes the Fillmore Meadows project because "it would create a whole different community" of luxury homeowners, he said.
Ben Aparicio, a 39-year-old preschool program coordinator for the Fillmore Unified School District, wants the city to build affordable housing for the city's residents before it approves hundreds of luxury homes. He also thinks the council has been insensitive to the Latino community.
"When our federal government approved the amnesty program, the City Council did nothing," said Aparicio, who would have liked to see the council pay for English classes and other outreach programs for Latinos.
Aparicio also called for improvements in city health services, especially for senior citizens. He would like to offer a mobile medical facility to visit patients who don't drive or are confined to their homes, and he supports building a community recreation center.
