Nominees for the 2011Mar Vista Patch 'Person of the Year'

The nominees for the 2011 Patch "Person of the Year" for Mar Vista have been submitted and we'd like your feedback to help us decide.

We'll use the poll below to help measure the community's thoughts, so make sure to vote and also leave comments to help us with the decision.

The poll and comments will be open until 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 26. We'll follow up with a profile of the 2011 Mar Vista Patch "Person of the Year."

The nominees (in order of nomination) include:

• Sherri Akers, co-chair of the Mar Vista Community Council Green Committee, received multiple nominations. One nominator said, “She has been instrumental in greening Mar Vista and bringing the community closer together. Another wrote, “Sherri has worked very hard in Mar Vista to create a drought tolerant garden community. She is very active with the Green Committee and is always cheerful and helpful at the Farmer's Market.”
• Albert Olson, past Chair of the Mar Vista Community Council. The nominator said, “Albert served with distinction as chairman of the Mar Vista Community Council, including being principally responsible for our neighborhood's signature event, the l. No one has contributed more to Mar Vista over the past few years than Albert.
• Jasmine Jaffe, an active board member of the Mar Vista School Enrichment Group, Mar Vista Historical Society, and Friends of Palms Middle School.  The nominator said,  “She provides enormous time and energy to help Mar Vista School even though she no longer has children there!”
• Sharon Commins MVCC Chair. The nominator praised, “The tireless efforts she has committed to this community, attending hundreds of meetings to speak on behalf of Mar Vista regarding Planning, Mar Vista Neighborhood Council, Mar Vista Park Advisory Committee, CD 11 Meetings, LA City Council Meetings and on and on and on. Her house burned down early in the year and she never missed a beat putting this community’s best interests before herself and family.”
• Martin Rubin, founder of Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution (CRAAP). The nominator said Rubin is “a resident of Los Angeles who lives just under ½ mile from the east end of Santa Monica Airport (SMO), was drawn into his activism in 1997. While doing what he loves in his garden, he became aware of an awful smell. It took him awhile to realize that the odor was always accompanied by a high shrill sound, and that the source of both the sound and the stink was the idling private jets at SMO. In 2003, he along with his wife Joan founded CRAAP, along with their website www.jetairpollution.com, to educate and organize SMO’s surrounding communities. In 2007 the City of Los Angeles awarded CRAAP with a certificate of appreciation for their proactive work to improve the environment.
• Tom Gilder, Head of School at Windward School and Head of Mar Vista-Windward Community Partnership Steering Committee. The nominator said, “2011 marks the 25th anniversary of Tom Gilder’s tenure as Head of School at Windward School in Mar Vista and it also marks the school’s 40th Anniversary. During this time, Tom has led Windward to become one of the premier independent schools in Los Angeles and one of the gems of the Mar Vista community. Tom and his family have lived on Stoner Ave. in Mar Vista for over 25 years.  Tom has served on the Windward-Mar Vista Neighborhood Partnership Community Steering Committee for several years, a group that meets regularly to discover ways that members of Windward School community can work together with the local neighborhood associations and the Mar Vista Community Council to support the Mar Vista community.”