Marie Panec of Oak Park has announced that she is running in 2010 for the Democratic nomination for the 24th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Republican Elton Gallegly.  Dr. Panec is in her second term as a  board member of the Oak Park Unified School District and has taught biology at Moorpark College for 12 years. At Moorpark, she has served as chair of the Life Sciences Department. In a press release emailed to me, Dr. Panec said, “In order to revive our local economy and ensure our quality of life, we must pursue policies which will foster growth in science and technology and nurture educational opportunities.”  She also said that biotech is a key industry in Ventura County.
The 24th Congressional District covers a lot of territory, from the Conejo and Simi Valleys, to Santa Paula, Fillmore and Ventura, to Santa Barbara and Lompoc. To see the District map and for more info, go to: http://www.panec4congress.com/home.php
Posted by Janna Orkney
Jeanne Cope // Sep 30, 2009 at 1:27 PM
That is the best news I have heard for a long time. Janna, keep in touch. She has my support already.
eco-nerd // Oct 1, 2009 at 5:54 PM
She’s a very smart lady and the 24th along with the state and the country would all benefit having a congressional member with such a strong background in bio and the environment.
On the flip side, she might have to ‘dumb’ herself down if she wants to connect with the voters. The compassion is there but now she will have to relate it to a diverse pool of voters. This isn’t an academic position but an election that crosses all lines of economics and education. There is no syllabus or textbook to make sure that the neophytes are following along. A lot of the ‘big’ words may have to be broken down in order to insure that everyone is on the same page.
I wish her all the best while my confidence in the voters of the 24th still wanes. After all, we keep bringing back the little guy in the big suit whose office keeps telling me that he has no control because ‘it’s a democratic congress’.
Betsy Connolly // Oct 1, 2009 at 6:19 PM
Marie Panec is an excellent candidate. We are just recovering from a big dose of dumb in Washington. I hope that eco-nerd is wrong about the voters of the 24th. Marie is a practical, down to earth person with experience in governance. She will hit the ground running.