Meet Ed Albrecht, Candidate For Calabasas City Council

CALABASAS, CA — As ballots start to hit Calabasas mailboxes, it’s time for locals to get to know their candidates.

Come Nov. 8, five candidates will vie for three open Calabasas City Council seats as Mayor Mary Sue Maurer, James Bozajian and David Shapiro have terms ending this year. Bozajian and Shapiro are both running for reelection.
Calabasas residents will also weigh in on a number of other local elections, including the Las Virgenes Unified School District and local water district.

Visit this link for more information about the upcoming Calabasas election.
A number of City Council candidates answered questions to introduce themselves to Patch readers. Get to know Ed Albrecht:

Age

73

Party Affiliation

The City Council is nonpartisan, but I’m currently registered as Republican.

Family

I’ve been married for 38 years and have 2 adult sons, both of whom went to our local public schools. I also have two wonderful grandchildren.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No one in my family works for the government. My parents were sole proprietors of a small business, and they instilled a strong work ethic in me.

Education

Long Island University, BS Business Management.

Occupation

Investment Advisor for 21 years. Prior to that, I owned and operated my own textile business.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I served as President of the Greater Mulwood Homeowners Association since 2013. I stepped down from that office in order to run for Calabasas City Council. I was also appointed to the Public Safety Commission by City Councilmember Peter Kraut.

Campaign website

Edalbrecht2022.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

Public service has been a part of my life for many years. In addition to serving as President of the largest Calabasas HOA for almost ten years, I also served as Chair for The Foundation for Pierce College for eight years. I’m currently on the Public Safety Commission. These things, combined with my business experience, have pointed me towards serving in a larger capacity on the Calabasas City Council. The bottom line is I love this city and I would like to give back on a greater level.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Aside from the incumbents, I believe I have more city government experience than the other challengers. I’ve been directly involved with a variety of City projects over the years. Mayor Mary Sue Maurer appointed me to serve on the Senior Center Task Force. I participated in every phase of what’s become an iconic building at our Civic Center. I worked with Councilmember Alicia Weintraub to bring the Flock License Plate Reader System to our city. This will help reduce crime. I’ve also been deeply involved in getting Wild Walnut Park into the construction phase. I understand how to get things done in our city government. I’m ready to hit the ground running.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community?

I wouldn’t say that the incumbents have failed. They’ve all done good for the community. However, I think that as a city, we should be constantly evolving, looking for ways to improve the quality of life for residents. Public safety is an issue that’s close to my heart. The Woolsey fire taught us some hard lessons and showed us there was room for improvement. I want to continue evolving our emergency response. Going hand-in-hand with that is having the understanding that opportunities for growth must be weighed against fire risk, evacuation and our open space.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

In addition to public safety and crime prevention, I believe in keeping development responsible. Education has always been important to me. I would continue to support our public schools in a variety of ways and make sure that our kids are prepared to go out in the world.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My work on various City projects (Flock License Plate Reader Systems, Wild Walnut Park and Senior Center Task Force), along with being a Public Safety Commissioner has given me an understanding of how to navigate our city government. I believe my business experience has given me important skills. I’m fiscally conservative. As a business owner, I had to bring projects in on-time and on-budget. In my work as an Investment Advisor, my job is to forecast needs and make sure clients are able to achieve those needs. These are all useful skills that will help me guide our City into the future.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

“Do the right thing, even when no one is looking.”

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Calabasas is a unique city. As the Gateway to the Santa Monica Mountains, we’re blessed with amazing environmental resources. We must be stewards of our environment. I’m honored to have been endorsed by the Sierra Club and The Calabasas Coalition. My values are shared by the residents. I would be honored if they would entrust me with their vote.