Did you know that the former mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes is a teacher here at PV High? Spanish I and II teacher Barbara J. Ferraro was mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes back in 1997. Ferraro was mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes for a year, from 1997 to 1998.
In 1996, Ferraro decided to run for RPV city council and was elected to be part of the city council.
“I decided to run for city council because I wanted to make a difference in my life and in the lives of the citizens of Palos Verdes.” stated Ferraro. Ferraro also said that she wanted to try and create a better environment for her family and the rest of the families of Rancho Palos Verdes.
After being part of the city council in 1996, Ferraro decided to run for mayor in 1997.
“I was very nervous about running for mayor because I wasn’t sure if I was qualified to hold such a high position but the support of my loving family convinced me that I was ready to hold such a high position with the experience I had with the city council. Running for mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes was very nerve-racking because I had a lot of competition for mayor, like Tom Hollingsworth, my fiercest competitor.” Ferraro stated.
Ferraro’s rivalry with competitor Tom Hollingsworth made this election one for the ages.
“ I have much respect for Tom because he is a great politician and I knew right off the bat that he was a very smart man with his ideas about trying to improve Rancho Palos Verdes.” said Ferraro.
Ferraro had major supporters like Angie Papadakis, member of Los Angeles County Board of Education, and Jane Jones, President, Palos Verdes Library Board of Trustees.
“ I had many supporters during my campaign and I’m still very thankful for those supporters to support me during my campaign.”stated Ferraro about her 1997 campaign.
Ferraro worked very hard on her campaign and it paid off. She won the election.
“ I was super happy that I won the election and I knew at that moment that I had a huge responsibility on my shoulders now. I had the privilege to help manage Rancho Palos Verdes. I was very excited by the challenge and I knew that I would do a great job.”
For that year Ferraro did a great job as mayor and brought the people of Rancho Palos Verdes closer together.
“ I’m proud of myself for being mayor of such a beautiful community and made some new friends along the way. It was one of the most stressful years of my life but in the end, it was definitely worth it in the end. Knowing that I was once part of a community changing the city for the greater good truly brings joy to my heart.” Ferraro has had many memorable memories because of this experience. “ My most memorable moment from being mayor was when I spilled some coffee in a meeting with the rest of the council. I was so embarrassed and my face got so red, it was a moment in my life that I would never forget.”
Ferraro’s favorite part of being mayor was helping to create rules that benefitted the children.
“ For me the children always came first; whenever I had a child problem brought to my attention I would always try to resolve that problem first. I was always trying to figure out ways I could help the students of Rancho Palos Verdes.” stated Ferraro about the devotion she had towards children problems.
Ferraro couldn’t believe that it was over so quickly.
“ If I could, I would do it all over again, one of the greatest experiences of my life and I have the great people of Rancho Palos Verdes to thank for that.”