Verna Rollinger
for City Council
825 Park Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION,

August 9, 2008                    Contact: Verna Rollinger 494-9878

Verna Rollinger Files for Laguna Beach City Council

After much deliberation, former city clerk Verna Rollinger has filed to run for a seat on the Laguna Beach City Council. Two seats are up in the November 4, 2008 election. Rollinger came within 140 votes of winning a seat in the 2006 council election. She explained that supporters urged her to run again, reminding her that many council members were unsuccessful in their first efforts to serve, including Mayor Jane Egly and council member Elizabeth Pearson. Rollinger says, “I care so much and have worked so hard to help make Laguna Beach the special place it is. I really want to serve my community.”

 Rollinger served for 29 years as Laguna Beach’s elected City Clerk where she created an office that was highly professional, fair, user-friendly, and open to everyone in the community. “I want to bring that same reasonable approach and customer service attitude to City Hall to benefit all the residents of Laguna Beach.”

“I came to Laguna Beach 38 years ago and raised two children here. Coming to Laguna changed my life. This beautiful town and its people nurtured me and my family and provided opportunities I could never have envisioned. I became city clerk, and Lagunans elected me seven times to that office. Getting to know many of our residents and helping them to navigate the complexities of City Hall was one of the best parts of my job.”

“Knowing Lagunans as I do, I know that we share a respect for our history, a strong sense of community, and a willingness to participate in thoughtful planning for our future. Our shared values will be a source of strength in confronting the challenges we face. With my unique perspective on the workings of the City Council and my experience in many community organizations, I can create constructive solutions to our community's problems. Now more than ever, our city needs responsible, informed leadership that listens to its citizens. With their support, I will do my best to provide it.”

 Rollinger will campaign on issues that she believes are important to all residents:

• “We can deal with our parking, traffic and circulation problems by borrowing successful solutions from other cities, including creating new parking options and building on our successful shuttle service.”
• “We have to gain regional support for the resources that will improve our ocean water quality to prevent health impacts on residents and visitors, particularly those on our children.”
• “We need to keep the hospital in Laguna Beach as the critical community resource that serves us all.”
• “We have all the rules we need to preserve our neighborhoods and downtown.”
• “We need to keep our open space, both the inner space in our neighborhoods and our surrounding greenbelt.”

 “I will run an independent, positive campaign. I will walk Laguna’s neighborhoods to meet residents one-on-one,” Rollinger committed, “so that we can talk about issues and ways to make the city better.”

 Rollinger has been supported over the years by many current and former mayors and council members who, together, represent a broad spectrum of the community.