Thousand Oaks Needs Bigger Council

Responding to the letter writer who abhors the recent Thousand Oaks recall idiocy (“Recall Drive Is the Wrong Course,” June 22), we think the solution is to increase the number of members on the City Council and to choose them according to district.

The city population has grown drastically in the past 20 years. In the five-member council, each member represents over 22,000 people. In a nine-member council it would be about 12,000 now, or 15,000 at the advertised build-out level of 135,000.

In a larger council any personality conflicts among the members would have a lesser effect on the group. A conflict between two members presently represents 40% of the council; it would be only 22% of a nine-member group. A single member who can’t seem to keep an open mind would be only 11% rather than the present 20% of the council.

In the past few years there has been such a long list of council candidates in each election that many of their campaigns have not been very statesmanlike, to say the least.

Let’s make civics more civil. Don’t recall the council members; recall the government.

MICHAEL PERSHING

Thousand Oaks