Pacific Palisades Community Council Elects Zar as New President

By DAYNA DRUM | Reporter 

Election night at the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) on Thursday, June 9 elected outgoing PPCC Vice President Maryam Zar as the new president of the community council.

Zar ran opposed by area representative Stuart Muller, who withdrew his candidacy shortly before voting by the council began. The candidates were each given three minutes to address the PPCC and the audience to share their potential plans for the position. Muller began by thanking the outgoing executive board members and proceeded to say he represented the concerns of a group of board members and community members.

“Many elected area and organizational representatives feel that our voices and the voices of those we represent have not been given adequate opportunities to be heard at board meetings,” Muller said.

He expounded on that by saying it was time for the PPCC to “reevaluate” its priorities and restore “balance” to the board. After weeks of what Muller called “productive” conversations with the executive board members, Muller withdrew from the running and placed his support with Zar.

Zar assured Muller she understood and was listening to those concerns; she added that she was both “humbled and reluctant” to step into the position.

Following the organization’s bylaws, the council followed through with the vote, resulting in an unsurprising unanimous approval of placing Zar in the president’s seat. Previous Representative at Large George Wolfberg will sit alongside Zar as vice president of the council.

The Council is looking for community members interested in becoming Area Representatives or At-Large Representatives. Elections will be held later this summer. For more information email info@pacpalicc.org

MARYAM ZAR

Zar is the founder and outgoing president of the Pacific Palisades Taskforce on Homelessness (PPTFH) and was named 2016 “Volunteer of the Year” by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. She has also been involved with American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) and the parent groups at Paul Revere Charter Middle School. She is a member of ICAN Task Force to combat human trafficking.

GEORGE WOLFBERG

Wolfberg has been a resident of Pacific Palisades since 1972, and has over 30 years of experience with Los Angeles City budget. He has volunteered with many local organizations such as the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association (SMCCA) and AYSO. Wolfberg previously told the Palisadian-Post he is concerned about issues such as Pacific Coast Highway safety for both motorists and pedestrians and the completion of the Potrero Canyon Community Park.