Long time Murrieta resident Gene Wunderlich was appointed by the Murrieta City Council to fill the 6 month vacancy left on the Council by the retirement of 2-term Council member Kelly Bennett. Wunderlich was one of 18 residents to submit paperwork for the position and emerged with the job following a grueling 7 hour interview process before the Council on June 16.
Wunderlich pointed to his familiarity with the City as one advantage in his selection, allowing him to ‘hit the ground running’ without a long learning curve. Wunderlich has served on previous city committees including Chairing the 2004-2005 General Plan Advisory Committee which oversaw revisions to the city’s General Plan, zoning, housing and transportation requirements. He also serves on state and national committees dealing with zoning, the environment and private property rights.
In addition to those issues, Wunderlich says he wants to focus on jobs, working with the city to bring good jobs to the area. “I’ve been using the same statistic for the past 15 years that 65% of our residents have to leave their families and climb on the freeway to drive to San Diego, Orange County and further for a job every morning”, according to Wunderlich. “Murrieta has one of the highest median incomes in the area, a low median age, highly educated residents and an enviable quality of life – yet we’re exporting our workforce to surrounding areas. The City has done a great job laying the groundwork during the recent recession, now’s the time to capitalize on that and bring some of those jobs home.”
Wunderlich has been a Realtor in the community for more than 20 years, has served on the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce and is Vice-Chair of the Southwest Healthcare Board of Governors. He currently works as Government Affairs Director for the Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors and as Legislative Liaison for the Southwest California Legislative Council – both positions that afford him the opportunity to advocate on behalf of homeowners, property rights and local business interests.
When asked about a recent headline proclaiming that he had ‘just 6 months to impact Murrieta’, Wunderlich smiled. “I’ve been working to have a positive impact on Murrieta for the past 25 years. I’ve got 6 months on the Council but when that’s done, I’ll still be working to have an impact on my community. Some things are easier to accomplish when you’re not out front of the parade. There’s nothing wrong with the way our city is operating and no great need for change. We’ll keep working to make this a better place every day.”