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Dana Point Councilwoman Debra Lewis resigns her seat ahead of moving out of the city
Councilwoman Debra Lewis, who has served on the Dana Point City Council since 2016, announced Tuesday, July 28, she is moving and will leave the dais immediately.
The retired lawyer, who had been committed to rebuilding residents’ trust in the city government, said she is going to Palos Verdes to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren, who are 9 and 11.
“Family is the most important part of my life,” she said Wednesday. “And, I don’t want to miss being with my grandkids and watching them grow.”
Lewis said she and her husband had been eyeing a move and had put their house on the market just as the coronavirus hit.
“We have no idea of what is going to happen to the economy and real estate and we got an offer we were willing to sell it for, ” she said.
Since the council is on summer break with no meetings scheduled in August, that leaves just four meetings before Nov. 3, when her seat is up for election. The council could appoint someone to fill her seat or simply leave it open until the voters decide on someone.
Lewis rose in Dana Point’s political scene in 2016 when she was one of five residents who sponsored the successful Measure H, an effort to require voter approval of some projects in the Lantern District, over a competing city sponsored measure. Lewis and Councilman Paul Wyatt, a fellow Measure H supporter, were the top vote-getters in the November 2016 election.
Wyatt commended Lewis for raising the bar at council meetings.
“Our worry, before we ran for council, was that there was not enough discussion,” Wyatt said. “We felt we owed the residents that discussion, no matter what the vote was. Debra was always prepared and thought everything through. She always upped everyone else’s game.”
Lewis championed residents’ causes and was instrumental in pushing through the city smoking ban. She presented a view plan to deal with large trees and shrubs. While her effort failed to get enough votes, the council incorporated her ideas into the city’s landscape guide.
Lewis also helped with updating Dana Point’s strategic plan, which focused on residents’ views and concerns on how to make Dana Point an excellent place to live.
“We wish her well in all her future endeavors,” City Manager Mike Killebrew said.