This is an archive of a past election.
See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/slo/ for current information.
San Luis Obispo County, CA November 7, 2006 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Marilee Hyman

Candidate for
Council Member; City of Pismo Beach; 4 Year Term

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

EDUCATION AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Marilee Baldwin Hyman was born locally, graduating from Mission High in 1956. Winner of the Bank of America Academic Excellence Cup and IHM college scholarship, she graduated cum laude from Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles with a major in History and an English minor.

For 10 years as a member of the Immaculate Heart Community, Marilee taught history, English, music, business, typing, theology, and was director of chorus, the annual, and audiovisual services. She compiled and prepared the Biennial Commission Report for the Los Angeles City Schools Personnel Commission.

In 1968 she was one of only 20 high school teachers selected nationwide by the National Science Foundation to earn a Master's Degree in Sociological Theory and Research. While studying, she married Tony, a fellow NSF winner. Her thesis was on procedures for training police for urban riot control.

The Hymans moved to NY City, where Marilee taught in a tough run-down slum Bronx Jr. High. She then abstained from outside work for four years to have two sons, Mark and Dan. During this period, Marilee took up serious gardening. Two years later she was a semi-finalist in PBS's search for the nation's best home vegetable garden, her personal favorite award.

She returned to work as a member of the founding team of the Steuben County Teen-Age Parents program, an effort to provide rural teen age mothers with schooling and counseling. She developed and found funding for the most extensive training program in sex education, childbirth, and childcare given to high school age parents anywhere in the US.

FAMILY COURT AND PROBATION OFFICER:

The difficulty of commuting 40 miles on snow covered dirt roads led her to accept temporary work as a Schuyler County Family Court and Probation officer, responsible for evaluating persons and situations for the County Court, counseling probationers, and conducting court ordered investigations. She specifically requested to be given the widest range of tasks so she could learn more about the interface between the public, the government and the legal system.

TEACHER OF PERSONS WITH MENTALLY RETARDED DISABILITIES RELEASED FROM INSTITUTIONS:

She left that position when invited to head the Steuben County Life Skills Project, an effort to train mentally retarded persons to live independent lives in the community. She was so successful, Marilee and her husband were commissioned by the State of New York's Office of Developmental Disabilities to write and publish Skills For Life, a handbook to enable governmental and private agencies elsewhere to replicate her accomplishments. She wrote, directed, and produced a video on the benefits of Life Skills training.

Marilee designed a Medicaid funded Day Treatment program for severely retarded persons. Her plan included program goals, strategies, professional staffing, job descriptions for dozens of positions, and a time table. She designed the facilities and activities, wrote bid specs for renovation and equipment, prepared a $1,500,000 budget, and set up staff training. Her resulting $500,000 start up award was the largest grant given in NY state that year.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF A NY ASSOCIATION FOR THE MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN AND ADULTS:

Marilee then took over a deeply troubled Chapter of the NY State Association for the Retarded with 225 employees, four houses, three offices, a training center, a 1,600 sq. miles transportation system, a factory, and a multi million dollar operating budget. On the day she was hired, the agency was more than a half million dollars in debt, had been cut off from all federal, state, and county funding, had not paid withholding or filed sales tax and other forms for years, and was within hours of having all electricity, water, and phones cut off. As CEO, Marilee reestablished short and long term credit, trimmed staff, computerized finances, established proper fiscal procedures, negotiated and paid all outstanding debt, restored credibility with government agencies, trained a management team, and wrote and established personnel policies. She redesigned the factory's physical layout, consolidated administrative officers, reorganized production practices and turned the factory into a viable concern making and items for Gold Seal winery and Corning Glass among others. When she left to come to California after only two and a half years as CEO, the Chapter was out of debt and embarked on a new $2,000,000 building program in one of New York's poorest and most rural counties,.

PUBLISHING ENTREPRENEUR AND BUSINESS OFFICER FOR TREASURE HUNT PUBLICATIONS:

In 1984 Marilee and Tony founded Treasure Hunt Publications, specializing in books, tapes and media programs about buying and selling antiques, art and collectibles. She handled all business affairs and investments, with full responsibility for customers, billing, taxes, and other financial matters including contracts for printing, wholesaling, publicity, travel, radio, television, infomercials and QVC. "She did everything except the writing and lecturing," says husband Tony who describes her as "the most reasonable get-it-done person I know."

PISMO BEACH AND COMMUNITY PUBLIC SERVICE:

In Pismo Beach since 1991, Marilee has (been)

  • chaired the Fire Station Improvement group,
  • chaired the Natural Resources Committee for the Board of the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County,
  • a member of the LWV Tri-County Task Force on Ocean Issues
  • a member of the Pismo Beach Special Events Committee,
  • a member of the Shell Beach Improvement Group,
  • worked for broadcast of the planning commission,
  • a frequent voice of reason at council meetings.

Marilee is best known for her untiring leadership in getting Dinosaur Caves Park designed, funded and built over the past ten years.

Marilee is a strong supporter of the library and the arts, and is a life member of the South County Symphony Guild and the Price Historical Park.

Next Page: Additional Endorsements

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
November 2006 Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter


The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidate or political party.
Created from information supplied by the candidate: November 6, 2006 04:42
Smart Voter   <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://ca.lwv.org