Follow @PalisadianPostThe Pacific Palisades Community Council elected new officers last Thursday in the most contested election since the Council’s creation in 1972. ’Whether you get chosen or not, it doesn’t mean that you haven’t been appreciated,’ said Janet Turner, presiding president of the council, moments before ballots were cast. For the first time, two candidates ran for president (Barbara Kohn defeated Haldis Toppel), two for vice president (Chris Spitz won over Paul Glasgall) and two for secretary (incumbent candidate Jennifer Malaret beat Joyce Wong Kup). Bike shop owner Ted Mackie maintained his incumbent position as treasurer, running unopposed. ‘It was an unusual event to have a contested election,’ Kohn told the Palisadian-Post. ‘No one has ever challenged the election committee’s recommendations before.’ Toppel, who will continue serving as vice president until the new board is seated July 1, said that she wants to make the process of selecting a president ‘an election and not an appointment,’ referring to the fact that a three-member committee recommends a single volunteer candidate for each office. This year’s committee selected Kohn, Spitz and Malaret. ’Historically, people have assumed it’s an appointment [by the election committee],’ but the process has always involved an election by all board members, Kohn said. Nevertheless, most vice presidents have been nominated as the candidate for president once the incumbent is termed out after two years. Toppel, who also serves as a board member of the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association, said she hopes to continue working with the Council. Kohn, who currently serves as Area 1 representative (for Castellammare and Paseo Miramar), said she plans to work with PPCC area reps to see ‘how they are reaching out to their communities.’ She will also be aiming for ‘greater participation and more outreach’ to the community. The Palisades has always been, and will continue to be, proactive with issues of development, said Kohn, who hopes that the majority of Council participants stay in their current roles. ’I have a great team with Chris and Jennifer,’ she said. ‘I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.’ Kohn, a 45-year member of Kehillat Israel, received the Council’s 2009 Community Service Award and has served as president of the Pacific Palisades Resident Association since 1998. Malaret, a 21-year Palisades resident, has served on the Park Advisory Board at the Recreation Center and has been involved in key items having an impact on the community, including the Citywide Sign Ordinance and the fire department’s allocation of resources. Malaret received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and her law degree from Loyola Law School. Spitz, who currently serves on the PPCC as a representative of the Pacific Palisades Homeowners Association, graduated second in her class at Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law. She practiced commercial litigation with a large Century City firm for several years and is now in part-time practice at Lerman Pointer & Spitz. Spitz has served on the Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee and on the planning and land-use committee of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils. The first meeting with the new officers will be held on Thursday, July 12.
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