Carolyn Ramsay resides in Windsor Square but these days she seems to be everywhere in LA. Tom LaBonge, City Councilman of the 4th District will be retiring from his seat next year and Ramsay – who served as his Chief of Staff and who recently took a leave of absence from her position – hopes to replace her former boss.
You would never know the election is March 2015, by checking Ramsay’s schedule.
Recently, Ramsay spoke to a gathering of neighborhood women hosted by Mary Pickhardt, Carolyn Bennett and PJ Clark in Pickhardt’s garden. Last week, she spoke to 50 women at The Ebell of Los Angeles.
And a couple nights ago Ramsay was the guest of honor at a fundraiser hosted by Mark Borman and Karen Hermelin in their Windsor Square home — and these are just the events this reporter was invited to!
“Right now, I am doing about five events and meetings a day,” said Ramsay. Her campaign faces an important funding raising period deadline at the end of June; yet Ramsey does not anticipate her pace slowing down anytime soon. “Of course, the last two months of the campaign will be even more intense.”
This past Sunday, Ramsay and her husband, Andy Goodman, took a ride on the LA River; they also went to an event in Wattles Garden, where the Russian-American Choir sang in Hebrew.
“I am meeting incredible people,” Ramsay said enthusiastically. “I am meeting people with really interesting ideas about the city who run really interesting businesses. And, I’m having fun!”
Ramsay’s experience creating parks and greening the city resonates with her audience. In their introductions, the garden event hostesses described Ramsay as someone who really knows the neighborhood and cares deeply about saving and planting trees. They noted her efforts that lead to the creation of the verdant Larchmont medians, and the creation of the Windsor Square Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, the first of many that would ensure the preservation of the architectural heritage of the surrounding neighborhoods.
“Carolyn has increased our real-estate values by leading the efforts to establish an HPOZ in Windsor Square,” said Mary Pickhardt. “It’s been a long process, but the neighborhood looks better than ever.”
Ramsay’s goal is to secure a spot as a front runner in a field crowded with more than 10 candidates. Her role as LaBonge’s former Chief of Staff gives her an advantage; Ramsay is well-known and has worked with a lot of neighborhood groups.
“I am so grateful for the level of support I am receiving when meeting people at the events,” said Ramsay. “I am running as an independent – on my experience, as a well-informed voice on the city council.”
Still, Ramsay has to tell her story and inspire Angelenos to care about this race — even though it is still 8 months away, a lifetime in electoral politics.
So, Ramsay is ubiquitous. Look for her next on your doorstep. Carolyn Ramsay begins her walking campaign on July 1st.
I like Carolyn. But there is no way I can support a candidate that doesn’t provide details on how they would be fiscally responsible with taxpayer’s money! I can’t find any details on how she would try to balance the city budget and rein in the crazy pension costs.