THOUSAND OAKS : Council May Dedicate Seats to Residents

Eager to honor residents who have poured energy into building Thousand Oaks, Mayor Alex Fiore has proposed dedicating several seats in the council chamber to outstanding citizens each year.

To kick off the program, Fiore hopes to honor four longtime residents and community activists. The council will vote Tuesday on his list, which includes:

* Virginia Davis, the city’s longest-serving planning commissioner. She now serves as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Civic Arts Plaza, which sets policy on programming, budgeting and funding of the new theaters.

* Marilyn Carpenter, a planning commissioner. Serving on many key committees over the years, Carpenter helped craft freeway design standards, draw up the city’s blueprint for growth and lobby the state for more educational funding.

* Jerry Knotts, a businessman who has been a major booster of Cal Lutheran University over the years. Knotts has also been active with various service clubs, charitable groups and arts organizations.

* Raymond Olson, a former president of Cal Lutheran who has long been active in civic activities. A member of Alliance for the Arts, he led the decades-long fight for a performance center.

Fiore has proposed that future councils dedicate one or two seats each year, based on specific criteria to be drawn up by a committee.

“It’s a nice thing to do,” Councilwoman Judy Lazar agreed. “I don’t think every Tom, Dick and Harry who comes down the pike deserves a seat dedicated in his name, but certainly people who have invested a lot of time in the community should be recognized.”