THE RACE FOR FOUNTAIN VALLEY CITY HALL

Torus Tammer

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- This is Mark McCurdy’s first run for City Council.

But that doesn’t stop him from jumping deep into the issues.McCurdy said

at a recent candidates forum that one of the most important issues facing

the city is recreational vehicle storage on public streets.

“There are many opinions on this issue,” McCurdy said. “One side

asserts that it is their inalienable right to store their motor home

anywhere they like, usually in front of their home. . . . The other side

brings up valid concerns over street safety.”

Although there are two sides to the issue, there is one thing that is

crystal clear, McCurdy said, and that is that RV storage poses a serious

question that could affect the safety of the community’s motorists,

pedestrians and especially children.

“Some express frustration just backing their car out of their driveway

or trying to turn left out of a residential area when there is a jumbo

motor home parked near a corner,” he said, adding that with the

ever-increasing number of RVs and their increasing size each year, this

trend will continue to affect the community and can no longer be ignored.

MARK MCCURDY

* Age: 40

* Family: Wife Michele

* Community Activism: Active member at Visitation Catholic Church;

docent and helps to run the the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis Brown House in

Los Angeles; and Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce

* Contact: (714) 964-0955 and https://www.markmccurdy.com

MARK MCCURDY ON:

* ORANGE FREEWAY TOLL ROAD PROJECT:

This project “proposed by the Perot Group seeks to build an elevated

tollway to extend the [Orange Freeway] from Garden Grove into Fountain

Valley, above the Santa Ana River Channel. Not only will this structure

be built over a fault line (close to the epicenter of the 1933 Long Beach

earthquake), but it would be constructed on sedimentary soil that could

threaten its stability,” McCurdy said.

He added that this project could also aggravate the city’s flood

control program at a time when many residents would like to eliminate the

requirement for flood insurance.

“We will have to work collectively as a community to stop the 57 Toll

Road from threatening the quality of Fountain Valley and possibly forcing

more residents into purchasing mandatory flood insurance,” he said. “This

is not consistent with our goals of preserving and enhancing our

community.”

* RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARKING:

“Since this issue has not yet been resolved, and in the interests of

fairness to our entire community, I agree with many who say we should put

the issue to a vote on the next ballot and let the majority decide,” he

said.

McCurdy said the city needs to be more proactive with these types of

issues, listen to all sides, and search together for the appropriate

solution to protect public safety.