City Council Candidate Stands for Property Rights, Helping Businesses

A Bronx, NY, transplant who settled in Murrieta while serving in the U.S. Marines Corps is seeking election to Murrieta City Council.

Harry Ramos, a 35-year-old military intelligence analyst said due to injuries suffered in his last deployment to Iraq he is now medically retired from the Marines—prompting him to want to find another way to serve. Ramos is among .

"Since 9/11 I have felt really compelled to serve," Ramos said. "Since I can no longer serve in the Marines, let me serve in this capacity."

Ramos said he was in New York City the day of 9/11, on a train that had passed under the World Trade Center a little more than an hour before the first plane hit. Seeing the devastation prompted him to look into becoming a New York police officer, and ultimately to enlist in the Marines.

Married and the father of two girls, 6 and 3, with a baby boy on the way, Ramos said he plans to raise his family in Murrieta.

He said he became interested in Murrieta city government when he received a citation for his garbage cans being visible from his property.

"I worked really hard at getting my property and was just amazed that somebody could tell me what I can and can't do on it," Ramos said.

"...That somehow it is the job of the government to control and shepherd their constituents as if we were lemmings," Ramos also said.

This prompted him to begin reading Murrieta municipal code.

"There is a lot of I don't agree with so here I am," Ramos said.

Though city council is a non-partisan office, Ramos describes himself as a Republican who leans to the conservative side.

"One of the biggest problems I see with our great city is it is not really business-friendly," he continued. "If you look at most of the businesses they are going to Temecula and Menifee."

He said he plans to get out and meet many business owners as part of his campaign.

"I want to become proactive in the community," he said. "I think we are going to see a swing in American politics, where a lot more people will become involved. God Bless America."

Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of articles that will profile each of the the six candidates. Click here to read articles about and