Name: Mito Aviles
Occupation: I am running for West Hollywood City Council in 2011. My partner, Chad Michael Morrisette, and I have a business doing window displays for boutiques throughout West Hollywood, parts of Los Angeles and just now branching into New York.
I have a real passion for interior design and have also done work in art direction for stage shows and film. I guess you can call me a "jack of all trades."
How long have you lived in West Hollywood? I have been living with my partner in West Hollywood for over three years.
What is the city's most important issue? West Hollywood has no term limits. We have had the same elected officials for 25 years. No new ideas, no fresh new mind-sets. West Hollywood's residents are much too creative to not have a new outlook for the city.
If you could change one thing about West Hollywood, what would it be? Something I experience and hear others experience is how congested our city is becoming with traffic. West Hollywood is not alone. The greater Los Angeles area suffers from the same situation. One thing I would like to change is West Hollywood's accessibility to public transit.
What is your favorite West Hollywood memory? I am relatively new to the city. So in essence, I am building my memories now.
You know you're in West Hollywood when... you see a charming old building with character that initially defined our city being scheduled for demolition.
Name something you've always wanted to do here but have been nervous or too busy to try. I have stepped into that already by running for West Hollywood City Council. Politics is something that I have been interested in all my adult life. Now that I live in a community that I know well enough, I'm ready to take that leap. I also want to open a vegan restaurant. My husband thinks I'm a great vegan chef and I wouldn't disagree with him on that.
Describe West Hollywood in three words. This one is easy and it's the motto of the city: The Creative City.
