Nine applicants to be interviewed for District 2 Council seat

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Nine residents of District 2 (southwest Menifee) have applied and will be considered for that vacant City Council seat during a special meeting at City Hall Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The vacancy was created when District 2 representative Ricky Estrada was elected Mayor. Unlike most other cities, Menifee does not rotate the Mayor’s position among council members on an annual basis. The Mayor is a separate at-large position which is voted in for four years.

The new District 2 representative will fill the remainder of Estrada’s District 2 term, which is two years. Applicants for the position will be interviewed by City Council members during the special meeting. Then, during the regular 6 p.m. meeting, council members will either make an appointment of one of the nine applicants or continue the action to the next meeting on Feb. 5.

In a special meeting on Dec. 17, the newly organized City Council voted to make an appointment of the new District 2 council member rather than hold a special election. At that meeting, city clerk Stephanie Roseen told council members that such an election couldn’t be held for almost a year – in November, 2025 – because of a lack of available state election dates prior to that. Roseen estimated that the election would cost about $68,000 – perhaps even more a year from now.

The last time an appointment was made to fill an incomplete City Council term was in 2018, when Mayor Neil Winter passed away. At that time, council members did not open it up for applications but instead appointed Bill Zimmerman, who served as Mayor until December 2024.

Applicants will have three minutes during Wednesday’s 4 p.m. meeting to introduce themselves and give highlights of the Statement of Interest they submitted as their application. Council members will then have the opportunity to ask them questions. The Statement of Interest of the candidates can be found on the following website. Click on the agenda item for the Jan. 15 special meeting and select "packet":

City Council Statements of Interest

Here is the list of applicants:

Altie Holcomb
Barbara Brohl
Ben Diederich
George Mills
Jeffrie White
Joe Long
Laz Peterson
Richard Sierra
Thomas Fuhrman

Holcomb is a 15-year Menifee resident who ran against Estrada for the District 2 council seat in 2022. He is a former member and chair of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission. A Marine Corps veteran and member of VFW Post 1956, he also served as a member of the Mt. San Jacinto College Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for Measure AA and is a member of the California Military Institute Advisory Council.

Barbara Brohl, a 2 ½-year Menifee resident, is a retired attorney who served as a corporate lawyer for Qwest Communications, “where I directed and developed the legal strategy and direction regarding Qwest’s general Regulatory Compliance requirements and ensured that company’s product strategy direction complied with all federal and state regulatory obligations while furthering corporate product and service goals.” She was also appointed by the Governor of Colorado as the Executive Director for the Department of Revenue and served on many other regional boards.

Ben Diederich, a 10-year Menifee resident, is a local attorney who also ran against Estrada for the District 2 seat in 2022. He has served on the Planning Commission for six years, first appointed by former council member Matt Liesemeyer and reappointed by Dean Deines. He has served on the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce Board and the Santa Rosa Academy School Board. He finished second to Estrada two years ago after receiving endorsements from the City Council, Planning Commission, Menifee Police Officers Association, Riverside County Sheriff’s Association, CAL FIRE, and the Mayors of Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore.

George Mills is a 36-year resident of Menifee and a local business owner. He has served as a board member, secretary, vice chairman and chairman of the board of the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce. He currently sits on the Board of Governors for Southwest Healthcare at Rancho Springs and Inland Valley Hospitals. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Inland Valley. In addition, he is the President of the Rotary Club of Menifee. He also sat on the Citizens Oversight Committee for Measure W, which provided major upgrades to high schools in the Perris Union High School District as well as the construction of Liberty High School.

Jeffrie White, a nine-year Menifee resident, is an automotive supervisor for UPS. A 2003 graduate of Paloma Valley High School, he was selected from among 100 candidates for a position as fleet technician. “Me experience at UPS has honed my skills in public interaction, budget management, and leadership,” White wrote in his application. “I believe my skills and experience make me a strong candidate for the City Council. I am committed to promoting growth in Menifee while preserving its rural charm.”

Joe Long was appointed to the Planning Commission by Estrada in 2022. For two years prior to that, he served as President of the Cottonwood community HOA. From 1990-2012, he worked as a residential appraiser, where he used his expertise in analyzing market trends, property data, and local regulations to “deliver precise and defensible evaluations.” According to Long’s Statement of Interest, he also built strong relationships with clients and stakeholders "by delivering exceptional service and maintaining the highest ethical standards.” He received a degree in mechanical engineering from Southern Illinois University in 1981 and certification in residential appraisal in California in 1990.

Laz Peterson, a 10-year resident of Menifee, has spent 30 years as a self-employed professional in the data, networking and communications fields. He was appointed by Estrada to the city’s Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission in 2022. He lists as his vision for District 2 “developing a long-term plan to revive the city’s economic development opportunities (along with entertainment), increasing community engagement and support to get to where we expected to be five years ago.”

Richard Sierra, a retired 26-year U.S. Marine officer and employee, is a four-year Menifee resident. He organized and executed the re-opening of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego from its COVID-19 lockdown. He actively supports the charity group Wreaths Across America, most recently as the keynote speaker at the National Cemetery in Marion, Indiana, and with Stackup.org, a veterans service organization.

Tom Fuhrman submitted his letter of application but didn’t include a detailed Statement of Interest. He served as District 2 representative from 2010-2014, losing his seat to Liesemeyer for the following term. Furhman has been involved in a years-long legal battle with the City of Menifee, which maintains he operates his Wooden Nickel horse ranch without a business license. In 2014, during his campaign for re-election, Fuhrman was arrested by investigators of the District Attorney’s Office and charged with several counts regarding conflict of interest for voting on issues as a City Council member in which he had a financial interest. Fuhrman accepted a plea agreement and served 100 hours of community service.