Full Biography for Richard B. Oakley

Candidate for
Council Member; Proposed City of Rancho Santa Margarita

"I grew up in a small Midwestern town of 30,000 people. It had tree-lined streets, nice homes, local shopping and a beautiful lake in the center of town. It was a safe place in which to grow up, raise a family and possibly retire. It was a lot like Rancho Santa Margarita.

I want to help ensure that Rancho Santa Margarita maintains its village atmosphere. I want it to be a safe happy place for children to grow up; for people to live and raise a family; and to possibly retire. I want the citizens and the neighbors of Rancho Santa Margarita to feel that it is truly a city with the soul of a village."

Richard and his wife Gail (a Rancho Santa Margarita resident since 1990) previously owned a Rancho Santa Margarita condominimum and now own a single-family home. Because of these experiences, Richard feels he understands the needs of both multiple-unit owners and single-family homeowners in Rancho Santa Margarita. Richard and Gail also have a daughter, Brooke, who is a nursing student at the University of Michigan.

A former corporate vice president, Richard now enjoys the regional management responsibilities for Structural Concepts Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and has completed graduate work in marketing at both Michigan State and Grand Valley State University.

"I believe in my 30 years of business, I have dealt with the wide varity of situations that will face a city the size of Rancho Santa Margarita. Personnel issues, fiscal matters and leadership issues are all areas that I have dealt with in corporate America."