Patch User Profile for Dennis Wilen

Dennis Wilen, Patch Staff
Brentwood, CA

Basics:

dennis.wilen@patch.com

310-562-6697

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Hometown: Ardmore, Pennsylvania

Long story short:

I started in news at the high school FM station and used my FM credentials to talk my way into a JFK Presidential press conference in D.C. The White House sent an angry letter to my high school, my principal yelled at me, and I parlayed it into a newspaper interview and an appearance on a late night AM talk radio show.

A newsman was born.

Then: High school newspaper, college radio station (I interned under Andrea Mitchell, now NBC uber-correspondent but quit because she was so obnoxious), college daily newspaper (I was managing editor) and wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and Rolling Stone. I squeezed in one piece for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, of blessed memory, after I moved to LA.

I came here for the record business and I worked as promotion man for artists as varied as WAR, Tanya Tucker, Rick Dees and Heart during the late 1970s and early 80s, which some refer to as the satin jacket, limousine and cocaine era.

I got out in time to save my life and went 180° in the opposite direction -- I became a bank loan officer. The initial attraction: paychecks didn't bounce.

By the third bank, Bel Air Savings in Brentwood, which became Topa Savings in Century City, I was a Vice President, Major Loans. I specialized in loans over $1 million.

Then came the Internet. First I was on AOL, where I co-moderated the real estate forum. Then the original PowerBook and a 14.4 modem got me online at home, via Netcom.

When Topa closed our division (property value slides meant calls for more and more investor capital -- sound familiar?) in 1995, I was ready to get into this new electronic medium and got the chance when an old record company bud asked me to build a site for KCRW/Simpsons/Spinal Tap's Harry Shearer. I was off to the races.

When I got to JewishJournal.com I got to refresh my journalism cred as Web Editor, and I'm happy to be here, running my own show, at the Brentwood Patch.

My Beliefs:

Politics

How would you describe your political beliefs?

I'm a life-long, registered Democrat, although not a follower of the party line. I'm a libertarian on guns and abortion and cannabis and gay marriage, a Keynsian in economics, a progressive on social policy, a serial entrepreneur and a strong advocate of the separation of church and state. I marched with MLK in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963 and I was an anti-war hippie in college (Penn) where I led demonstrations.

And yet, I was money-lending high-rolling bank vice president too. Sui generis politics, I guess.

Religion

How religious would you say you are? Casual, observant, devout, non-religious?

I grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, went to a Jewish summer camp and worked for a Jewish newspaper. That said, my views are, uhm, unorthodox.

Local Hot Button Issues

What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?

The continuing struggle that defines Brentwood is the ever-expanding clash of country and city living: speeding drivers vs. cyclists, development vs. natural preservation, horses vs. cars, wine and beer vs. the Country Mart.

Luckily, people go to court here, which is not a bug in the system, but a feature.

The alternative is six-shooters at dawn, and we no longer live in Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica.

We are fortunate to call Brentwood home. I'm here to help everyone make it even better.

Let's get to work!