LWV League of Women Voters of California
San Diego County, CA November 7, 2000 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Tom Cleary

Candidate for
City Council; City of San Diego; District 5

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

PERSONAL INFORMATION: 38, and married with two children. Graduate of SDSU. Scripps Ranch homeowner since 1991.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER:
- Chief of Staff (Acting) to Councilmember Byron Wear, City of San Diego
- Committee Consultant, City's Select Committee on Government Efficiency & Fiscal Reform
- Ex-Officio Member, City's Competition Program
- District Field Representative to Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham
- Co-owner Flowers á la Carte, a small business in Carmel Mountain Ranch (sold 1996)
- Field Representative to State Assemblyman Jeff Marston
- Executive Director to the San Diego County Republican Party

BACKGROUND: Focused on traffic and growth, the city's future fiscal integrity and infrastructure needs, as well as police and fire protection, Tom Cleary is a true grassroots candidate. He is providing added emphasis to child pedestrian safety, speeding and drag racing by young people, and realizing an improved regional transportation system. He is The Man With A Traffic Plan.

Tom has been a legislative analyst and policy advisor to San Diego Councilmember Byron Wear since 1996. Currently, he serves as Chief of Staff. Tom has served as Committee Consultant to the City's Select Committee on Government Efficiency & Fiscal Reform, which has saved city taxpayers $79 million through a Zero-Based Management Review process. He has also served as an Ex-Officio Member of the City's Competition Program, which has realized $118 million in budgetary savings since 1995 by working cooperatively with municipal employees, management and labor organizations on ways to make the bureaucracy operate more like a business.

Previously, Tom served as a district representative for Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, exchanging information and extending services to constituents, businesses, local organizations and civic groups along the I-15 corridor and northern San Diego County. During this time, Tom and his wife, Donna, established a retail floral business in Carmel Mountain Ranch.

As Executive Director of the San Diego County Republican Party, he supervised the daily business of the organization, including two special elections. Tom has worked on numerous local, state and national campaigns, including Pete Wilson's 1988 re-election to the United States Senate.

In addition to their small business, Donna Cleary has also been active in politics and government, working for Congressman Bill Lowery, Vice President Dan Quayle, then-Supervisor Susan Golding and Councilmembers Judy McCarty and Barbara Warden. Both Tom and Donna grew up in San Diego's North County and graduated from San Diego State University. They have been married for twelve years, have two sons, Brendan (4 years old), Jack (2 years old), and are expecting their third child in January 2001.

The Cleary Family resides in the community of Scripps Ranch.

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