BizFed PAC Interview with Cat Spydell

By Cat Spydell

Responses by Cat Spydell to the questionnaire requested by BizFed PAC. BizFed PAC is a nonpartisan political action committee.

BFP: Tell us a little about yourself, your background in the region, and why you are interested in running for office?

CS: I am admittedly an unconventional candidate, because my desire to run for City Council comes from the heart, not from any "career goal" or desire to move myself forward professionally. I grew up in Rolling Hills Estates, my father was once city manager of RHE, and I raised my kids in the home I grew up in. I have been HOA president, have served on the City's Environmental Advisory Committee, and attend of my own free will most City Council meetings because I am interested in how those five City Council Members treat "my" town. I am very vocal about things like losing the semi-rural atmosphere of RHE, of too much development, and of losing iconic mature trees and things that define our city, like stables and equestrian trails, and our retail spaces. Because of my long history here, I have a real sense of what works and what doesn't in RHE, and for the past decade I have made myself available most Tuesday Council meeting nights to share my opinions and to voice the concerns of my neighbors as well.

POLICIES

BFP: Who will vote for you + and why?

CS: Citizens who want their voices heard in our local government will vote for me. My platform includes community, quality of life, and smart growth. I am especially concerned with the voice of residents, because there is a definite lack of communication between those who govern our city and those who live in it. Most people don't know about major issues--issues that affect them on a day-to-day basis--until a project is completed or a change has occurred. Those who know me already know that when I go to meetings now, as a citizen, to speak to the City Council, I am standing there not just as myself but as a voice for the dozens of residents I have talked to about the agenda issues. The populace is in agreement over most things, and their desires are not always heard by the Council. People will vote for me to be heard.

BFP: What specific things would you do to create private sector jobs?

CS: A major goal of mine for the City is to revitalize the Promenade on the Peninsula mall in Rolling Hills Estates. It is a lovely open-air mall with an ice rink that was at one time a destination in our community. Growing up here, raising my children here, I have watched this mall decline and I have positive ideas to get it back to become the destination mall it once was. I have over the years offered suggestions about retail problems to the Council because I am in the unique position of having once been an employee in the mall. I know the mall owners, I know the pitfalls, and I am closely associated with a couple of businesses in the mall now and know exactly what the problems are in the retail sector there. Zoning changes have allowed stores and restaurants to be converted to office and medical space, and now that the national economy is in an expansion, it seems to me as if we should focus on filling the empty mall stores and try to create a thriving retail environment once again. Because the mall continues to limit its stores by turning empty spaces in medical offices, residents have no reason to shop there and take their dollars outside the community. Revitalizing the mall is crucial for the future financial well-being in the future, and many of the decisions that have been made so far are taking the mall in the opposite direction. A thriving mall will bring jobs to the local sector, and money to the city.

BFP: How would you increase revenues in your city?

CS: To increase revenues in Rolling Hills Estates, I would guide the Council to take a proactive position by determining what type of retail stores and restaurants would be successful in our city. To date, no mall or center owners have asked THE RESIDENTS what they would like to see in the mall and neighboring shopping centers. Perhaps if we work with the community, we could discover the recipe for success. It is up to the City to provide incentives to get chain stores into our area so the mall and shopping centers can thrive once again. The retail market in our community is heading on a downward spiral, and I for one believe the key to increased revenues is in turning the retail market around in Rolling Hills Estates.