Kermit Marsh is a lifelong resident of Westminster, California. Kermit's father, Paul Marsh, served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, graduated from Michigan State after the war, and became a marketing executive. Kermit's mother, Joyce Marsh, graduated from Albion College and became a teacher. Mr. And Mrs. Marsh moved to Orange County in the 1950s and raised their four children here in Westminster.

Kermit attended Westminster High School, from which he graduated as Valedictorian in 1983. After high school, Kermit proceeded to Stanford University on a National Merit Scholarship. Graduating from Stanford in 1987, he completed dual majors in Economics and History, with Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon honors. Upon completing his Bachelors Degree at Stanford, Kermit attended the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, Kermit received an Oralist's Commendation and served as an Appellate Advocacy Advisor and as a member of the Moot Court Board.

Upon receiving his Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1990, Kermit promptly passed the California Bar Examination and returned home to Westminster. Since 1995, Kermit has practiced law with the prestigious law firm of Beam, Brobeck & West LLP, here in Orange County. Kermit's legal accomplishments include the successful representation of the City of Newport Beach and its Police Department last year in Teter v. City of Newport Beach, in which Kermit successfully persuaded the California Supreme Court to restore the taxpayers' full immunity for injuries to and by prisoners in local jail facilities, protecting taxpayers from millions of dollars in potential future claims. Much of Kermit's legal practice is devoted to defending the taxpayers against the liability claims of trial lawyers and their clients.

In 1996, Kermit was appointed to the Westminster Planning Commission. As a Planning Commissioner, he rapidly developed a reputation as a stickler for detail, especially regarding parking and traffic impacts. Kermit supported quality commercial and residential development while fighting to preserve Westminster's historic neighborhoods.

Kermit Marsh welcomes Arnold Schwarzenegger to Westminster

When Councilmember Marge Shillington resigned in 1998 due to family commitments, Kermit filled in the remaining two years of her term. In 2000, Kermit finished first in a six candidate race, ahead of two sitting council members who had first joined the Council when Kermit was one and three years old, respectively, and despite being outspent by one opponent by nearly five to one.

Kermit joined a City Council that had just increased taxes. An avid proponent of limited government, Kermit was determined to reverse that trend. Gathering a three member majority, Kermit pushed through a one fifth reduction in the City Utility Tax for Westminster residents and businesses. As a Councilman, Kermit has consistently opposed any increase in taxes, and he has never voted to impose an assessment district or incur long term debt to cover short term expenses. Kermit believes that the problem with government finance is not insufficient funding, but runaway spending.

When Westminster adopted its Infrastructure Revitalization Plan (IRP), Kermit insisted on protecting private property rights by prohibiting the use of eminent domain in the IRP, and he insisted on a three year cap on debt to prevent irresponsible long term borrowing. Kermit authored the language of both provisions. Since its inception in 2000, the IRP has provided millions of dollars for public infrastructure, including two new 8 million gallon water reservoirs and the long overdue repaving of residential streets.

Transportation has been a major priority for Kermit. He has been an outspoken opponent of expensive public transit schemes, such as the billion dollar proposed CenterLine rail project, and he has instead promoted improvements for our streets and highways, with an emphasis on residential and arterial streets and the Garden Grove (22) and San Diego (405) Freeways. Kermit authored Westminster's resolution opposing OCTA's transfer of 199 million dollars from the Garden Grove (22) Freeway to the CenterLine. He currently serves on the West County Cities Policy Committee for Measure M funds (GMA 6), the OCTA I-405 Improvements Working Group, the OCTA Elected Officials Committee, and the OCTA West Orange County Project Definition Study Policy Committee. Kermit also serves on the Orange County Council of Governments and as an Alternate Member of the Orange County Fire Authority Board.

Kermit's older brother is a police officer, so it is no surprise that fighting crime is a top priority for Kermit. On the Westminster City Council, he has championed innovative anti-gang programs, including the nationally recognized T.A.R.G.E.T. program, and he has supported active coordination of the Westminster Police Department with other branches of law enforcement, including the Orange County District Attorney's Office, the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the California Attorney General's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kermit is proud to be endorsed by the men and women of the Westminster Police Officers' Association, and by Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, and Former Westminster Police Chief Jim Cook.

For years, Kermit's pet project was to provide decorative center medians along Bolsa Avenue and Westminster Boulevard to improve traffic flow and enhance driver and pedestrian safety. After years of grant applications and lobbying at the state and federal level, those efforts have paid off, and the Bolsa Corridor Project will finish construction this year, to be followed with a major portion of Westminster Boulevard. Beyond improving traffic flow and safety, these projects will enhance the appearance of Little Saigon and the Westminster Corridor, thereby increasing not only sales tax revenues, but also residential and commercial property values.

When former Governor Davis and the California Legislature enacted the Illegal Immigrant Drivers' License Law (SB-60), Kermit took a leading role in opposing it. He authored the first city resolution to oppose SB-60 and call for its repeal. Kermit's resolution was used as a model by other cities throughout California in the successful fight to repeal SB-60.

Kermit is a strong advocate of giving back to the community by serving others. Kermit is a past President of the Boys and Girls Club of Westminster, in which he played as a youth, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors as Personnel Chairman. A former Boy Scout, Kermit has also served as Chairman of the Orange Frontier District of the Boy Scouts of America. Kermit currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, where he has worked to expand services and improve access for our growing ethnic and senior communities. He is a Knight of the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (The Knights Templar), and he was tapped this year to serve as Chaplain for the Order in his region.

A tireless promoter of freedom and democracy in the international arena, Kermit was honored to serve as the closing speaker at the 2002 Conference of the World League for Freedom and Democracy in Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China), where he served as the Delegate for the United States Chapter. He also served as the keynote speaker at the 2002 Conference of the Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy in Vancouver, Canada, where Kermit again represented the United States Chapter.

Kermit is a proud husband and father, and he enjoys practicing law and serving on the Westminster City Council "in his spare time." Kermit met his beautiful wife, Wendy, through his legal career. Wendy is also a successful attorney, as well as a former President of the Organization of Chinese Americans of Greater Los Angeles (which includes Orange County). Their son Dermot, now five years old, was joined last November by a new little brother, Connor. Dermot and Connor, along with Kermit's many nieces and nephews, form the fourth generation of Marsh's in Westminster, with hopes of many more to come.