Masry Plans to Run for City Council

Ed Masry, a politically active lawyer based in Westlake Village, announced Monday he is running for a seat on the Thousand Oaks City Council.

Masry has become something of a local celebrity since his story was featured in the recent movie “Erin Brockovich,” starring Julia Roberts. He was portrayed in the film by Albert Finney.

Masry will join Councilwoman Linda Parks on what he called a team of slow-growth oriented candidates, aiming to take the city “back from the developers.”

Parks and Councilman Mike Markey are both up for reelection. Markey, who has said he will run again for office, could not be reached for comment. Markey has said previously he is not threatened by the prospect of Masry running for office.

Mayor Dennis Gillette declined to comment specifically on the joint announcement by Masry and Parks but said, in general, he encourages residents to run for council.

“The more people that choose to run for public office, the more choices the community has,” Gillette said. “I don’t think it’s important for me to speculate for success or failure of candidates. Every qualified person is encouraged to run for public office. It’s a considerable amount of work.”