Lesley Wiscomb will announce her candidacy in the 2013 race for Santa Barbara City Council at a briefing for the community and media at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens.
”I am a registered independent who believes that our City Council should be a team that works together to find the best long-term solutions to our problems, to improve our community and its neighborhoods, and to put the best interests of our city and its citizens first,” Wiscomb said. “I will do my homework, listen to your concerns, be sensitive to your specific neighborhood issues, and always consider our special heritage. I will use common sense to manage the city’s finances and work hard to keep Santa Barbara the ‘paradise’ that we all love. I want every resident to be proud of our beautiful and special city. I hope to earn your vote.”
Wiscomb serves Santa Barbara as chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission and on the Board of Directors of the PARC Foundation and of Santa Barbara Beautiful.
She has championed several successful efforts within these organizations to improve Santa Barbara’s underserved neighborhoods and the city as a whole. Most of these efforts involved public/private partnerships, a concept that she will vigorously pursue as a council member.
Wiscomb is also proud to be a Master Gardener with the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Santa Barbara County, an organization that supports sustainable landscape practices, including working with the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County to teach parents and children how to grow and harvest their own food from seed.
“It is very rewarding for me to be able to share my skills and enthusiasm and to work with city staff, volunteers and citizens to create additional resources for our community,” Wiscomb said. “I am an energetic independent thinker, and I always consider the views of all constituents to ensure that programs and services are valuable and sustainable.”
Wiscomb developed her teamwork and management skills through her education and two professional careers — the first in the finance industry in New York City. She then earned a graduate degree in landscape architecture, and founded her own firm in Seattle that was hired to lead project teams from the design and permitting to completion of construction of public park projects. These experiences taught her the critical role that community engagement plays in completing projects successfully.
“My husband Scott and I decided to make Santa Barbara our home many years ago, and we love this wonderful city,” she said. “Since moving here, we have focused considerable energy on making Santa Barbara a better place to live, work and play.”
Wiscomb can be reached at info@lesleywiscomb.com.