Members of the Board, May 2019
Every year the Ocean Beach Town Council has elections for its board of directors members. There are 15 seats on the Board and OBTC members elect Directors for two-year terms. Half of the Board stands for election every year. This year, 7 seats on the OBTC Board of Directors are up for election.
There are 6 candidates seeking election or reelection to the Board of Directors. Members of the OBTC are the only ones allowed to vote – and they can select up to 6 candidates whom they wish to represent them on the OBTC Board of Directors.
Candidate letters and statements can be viewed below. In order to vote, a member needs an OBTC online account. Voting will close at 11:59 PM on February 7th. After the results have been certified, they will be announced on social media. For more info, go here for the OBTC website.
Candidate Statements (in alphabetical order):
Jon Carr
I am an 20-year resident of Ocean Beach, and have an abiding love for this community. I have served on the executive committee as the board’s Correspondence Secretary since 2013, and I have enjoyed working with my colleagues on the board of directors, as well as partnering with other local organizations in OB to plan and execute many of our traditional, beloved community events.
Should I be fortunate enough to be elected for another term on the council, my priorities will include advocating for improved public services for 92107, fostering cooperation and unity among all OB community organizations, and increasing membership and interest in our organization. I am proud to be an OBcean, and I look forward to another 2 years with the board of directors so we can continue our mission of expressing the will and representing the welfare of this one-of-a-kind classic beach community.
Arlene Fink
My name is Arlene Fink, and I have lived in Ocean Beach since 1984 when my husband and I moved here from Oregon byway of San Jose and Detroit. We rented an apartment on Narragansett then were fortunate enough to be able to buy a condo on Muir and Abbott where we lived for 12 years. In 2004 we traded in the condo for a small house on Saratoga Avenue and have lived there ever since. It is our forever house in this amazing neighborhood.
In our time in OB we have become active members of this unique and very special place. I have had the opportunity to volunteer for every event sponsored by the town council: The Pancake Breakfast, the First Responders’ Appreciation Picnic, the Obies, the one of a kind Ocean Beach Holiday Parade, the Food and Toy Drive and the corresponding Auction. This year in order to give back even more to those OB families in need, I organized a Day of the Dead happy hour at our local award-winning winery, Gianni Buonomo to raise additional funds for the Food and Toy Drive. It was a huge success, a ton of fun, and hopefully will become an annual occurrence.
After 41 years of teaching, I retired last December. I became a member of the Women’s Club and have maintained my membership on the town council but felt that it was time to step up my commitment to this rare and wonderful and eclectic community. Being elected to the OBTC board would not only be an honor but would be a privilege as well. There is truly no place like home and definitely, no place like OB. I would greatly appreciate your support and vote and if elected, I promise, along with the incredible members of the current town council, to keep OB the extraordinary place that it is.
Grace Quigley
It has been such a great experience to serve this organization and community over the past two years, and I hope to do so for the upcoming term. Since the start of my term in February 2018, I have been Events Chair – overseeing the many great events that the OBTC puts on. I have led Event Committee meetings, where we brainstorm and strategize how to make all the fan-favorites (Pancakes on the Pier, Restaurant Walk, Holiday Parade, etc.) as efficient and fun as possible.
Over the last two years, I have also been co-chair of the OB Holiday Parade. Coming in as a newbie, I took on this role not completely understanding the magnitude of work that goes into planning any OBTC event, let alone the Parade, but I am very grateful for the experience. There’s nothing quite like seeing countless hours of work and collaboration between volunteers, participants and community members come together into one magical evening. As a fully-engaged member of our community, I want to continue doing my part to ensure OB thrives socially, economically and environmentally. No matter what, I look forward to the challenges and projects that lie ahead! Thank you for your consideration.
Cameron Reid
My name is Cameron Reid and I am running for the privileged opportunity at a 2nd term in upcoming Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC) Board of Directors 2020 election. With this position I aim to give back to this wonderful community and to ensure that it never ceases to provide us all with what makes OB so unique and really just OB.
Over the last two years while serving my first term on the OBTC I have been an event co-chair for the Pier Pancake Breakfast as well as the Holiday Food and Toy Drive. These incredible community events really allowed me to connect with the great people in our town while carrying on the tradition of these special events. Year over year attendance and sponsorship of the Pancake Breakfast has increased, and this year we hit our lofty goal of providing to 100 local families and seniors with our Food and Toy Drive.
The object and purpose of the OBTC is to express the will and represent the welfare of the community of Ocean Beach. This is something I truly believe I can help facilitate as part of our community’s Town Council. I feel strongly about the positive direction of our town’s future and am so eager for the opportunity to continue an active role within it. So I ask of you to please consider me during this upcoming Ocean Beach Town Council election. Thank you OB.
Christie Romano
I would like to introduce myself – my name is Christie Romano I am a resident of Ocean Beach as of August of 2019. We started traveling here about 3 years ago from Northern California and we fell in love with Ocean Beach. My husband & I have been happily married for 26 years we have 3 young adult children ranging between 19-23. We have owned our own businesses since we met in 1994. When our children were in school, I volunteered/ donated my time to run all the Events, Fundraisers & Committees at their schools. I now – with our children being grown – can invest 120% into my Business & to my Community. For this reason, I feel I would be a Great Asset to the Ocean Beach Town Council.
Since moving here in August, I have volunteered for the Octoberfest, Food for Families collection night/ delivering the food to the families as well as the Holiday Parade Check in/set up, & the VIP event that was held that evening. I am also a member of the Woman’s Club where I volunteer for their events & I have our Businesses as a paid member of the Ocean Beach Business Association. I volunteer there monthly to put together the Newsletter. I also attended coffee with a cop on Thursday January 16, 2020 to hear what is going on in the community & what the San Diego Police Department Is doing here in Ocean Beach. I felt that was important to attend & also I have the contact information of the Community Relations Officer to help organize future coffee with a cop event as well. I understand there are 7 open seats on the Ocean Beach Town Council. My area if a seat is open would be in the area of Community Relations, Donation Collections from Local Businesses for events when needed such as getting food donation for the Food for Families volunteers from local Restaurants & Event Coordination. In closing I consider myself a task driven individual that is mission driven. I feel I would be a Great Asset to the Ocean Beach Town Council. Thank you for your consideration.
Mark J Winkie
Hello fellow OBTC members, I have had the honor to serve on the board of the Ocean Beach Town Council for over five years, most currently as President. Being a board member has been a wonderful experience for me; I have learned a lot and have had the privilege to serve with incredibly bright and talented people who have a heart and energy for this community. They recognize the volunteer spirit which is at the center of what we do.
2019 proved to be a record-breaking year for the Ocean Beach Town Council. All of our fund-raising events surpassed our financial goals and many of them had record attendance. We served more Pancakes on the Pier and more families in need at the Food and Toy Drive than ever before. I would not have considered running again unless I was sure that I could devote the time needed to be an effective board member. If re-elected I will use the knowledge gained from the last five years to provide leadership and experience. I look forward to working with the entire community, listening to your needs and concerns and ensuring your voices are heard as we meet the challenges and opportunities of OB. Thank-you for your consideration.
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