THE RACE FOR FOUNTAIN VALLEY CITY HALL

Torus Tammer

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- John Briscoe is a man who fancies himself a fiscal

expert -- ready, willing and definitely able to take on the challenge of

sitting on the City Council.

Briscoe said his experience in the private sector makes him especially

qualified for the role.”My fiscal expertise as a CPA and small

businessman, along with my experience on the Planning Commission and

Traffic Committee, gives me a unique perspective,” Briscoe said.

Briscoe comes with political depth, having served for 10 years on the

Planning Commission -- twice as chairman -- and four years on the city

Traffic Advisory Committee.

Taking a slightly different approach than other candidates, Briscoe

does not focus on one issue, or even a few of them. His focus is

balance.Briscoe said that finding balance between the needs of the

community as a whole and that of individual residents is something he can

facilitate if elected.

“On the one hand, we all want Fountain Valley to stay the beautiful

city it is,” Briscoe said. “But on the other, we don’t want too much

government intrusion into our lives.” Reaching that balance is a critical

function of the City Council, Briscoe added.

“My 10 years on the Planning Commission has allowed me the opportunity

to learn how to balance these competing interests,” he said.

BIO:

JOHN W. BRISCOE

* Age: 51

* Family: Wife Terri; son John

* Community Activism: Fountain Valley planning commissioner, Traffic

Committee, Citizen of Year, Fountain Valley Junior Chamber of Commerce,

Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce, AYSO coach, and Orange County Board

of Education mentoring program

* Contact: (714) 839-6003, e-mail o7 [email protected]

JOHN W. BRISCOE ON:

* REDEVELOPMENT:

Briscoe said Fountain Valley is more than 40 years old, and the city

needs to work with older shopping centers to modernize them and make them

attractive to customers.

“Urban blight occurs when shopping centers and other parts of the city

are allowed to decay. This can easily spread to surrounding areas.”

* RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARKING

“This is a safety issue. Kids dart, unseen, from behind these RVs

without thinking. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”

Briscoe said 72 hours is more than generous in allowing for loading

and unloading.

“The problem is those few who park permanently in front of their

homes, only moving their vehicle often enough so as not to be ticketed or

towed. Perhaps we should not allow these vehicles on city streets on

Tuesdays and Wednesdays (free one-time permits could be obtained for

unusual circumstances). This might cause those few who violate the spirit

of the law to find off-street storage.”