> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Wisnicki loses close Malibu council race - URL: https://www.smdp.com/wisnicki-loses-close-malibu-council-race/ - Published: 2008-04-10T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T23:52:45.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Government & Politics, Malibu, #archive-import *Back to business for board member* The campaign for a seat on the Malibu City Council ended Wednesday afternoon for Board of Education member Kathy Wisnicki who barely lost out to political ally and Planning Commissioner John Sibert by just 27 votes. Wisnicki, whose term on the school board is up this fall, finished fourth in Tuesday’s city election where three seats on the council were up for grabs, garnering 1,392 votes to Sibert’s 1,419. Incumbent Pamela Conley Ulich finished first with 2,115 votes and Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner second with 1,686\. Susan Tellem finished fifth with 1,163. The results do not include 17 outstanding ballots awaiting confirmation from the Los Angeles County Clerk, though it would not affect the outcome. “I think John is going to do a great job and if it turned out the other way, I wouldn’t feel any better,” Wisnicki said on Tuesday afternoon. “I will go back to serving the students at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and I love that job, too, so I’m not overly disappointed.” Wisnicki expressed regret that she would not be able to serve alongside Sibert and said that a victory in her favor would’ve been bittersweet. “I thought we would’ve been a good team,” she said. Sibert expressed a similar sentiment. “Governing a city is not about sound bites and spin,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s about experience and vision and Kathy has all those things.” Conley Ulich and Wagner captured the top two seats on Tuesday night as the results started pouring in, but the race for third place was close all night heading into Wednesday morning with Sibert only up by 32 votes. While all of the precincts had reported by Wednesday morning, there were 197 uncounted absentee and provisional ballots that were turned in at the polls, according to Lisa Pope, the Malibu City Clerk. Both Wisnicki and Sibert attended a campaign party at the Malibu Performing Arts Center on Tuesday night where attendees honored outgoing councilmembers Jeff Jennings and Ken Kearsley, both of whom are termed out. 4C9,“I’m surprised by how at peace I was with whatever outcome,” Wisnicki said. “I have to think John will do an excellent job and I think I (would have) done an excellent job.” Wisnicki, a mother of two children who received her doctorate degree from UCLA, announced her candidacy last fall. “I was convinced by many people who had approached me to run,” she said. “I ran a good, clean campaign and some of my opponents have not.” “That may or may not have hurt me,” she added. Wisnicki was elected to the school board in 2004 and is the only Malibu resident on the seven-member body. She served as the board president last year. She said that she hasn’t thought about whether or not to run again for the council in two years and has not decided as to whether she will run for re-election on the school board this fall. One thing is for certain, Wisnicki said she is looking forward to continuing her duties on the board. “I’m going back to business as usual,” she said. Jump hedline: Back to business for Wisnicki Suggested pullquote: “I will go back to serving the students at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and I love that job too, so I’m not overly disappointed.” Lucida Grande 40, 4 0 400 0¬ 1 0 40, Minion 40, 4 0 231A 0¬ 1 0 *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 10, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041008.pdf?ref=smdp.com)