It is personal. It is philosophical. And if you care about the people who live among you, it is serious.

A certain lady with a salty personality and a temper she does not always hide, has retired after 4 1/2 years service with a perceived do-little commission.

Vice Mayor Carol Gross, who has been an admirer of the lady, suggested, almost offhandedly, that the Council issue a commendation — which it seems to do 10,000 times a year.

Hitting a Speed Bump

She did not anticipate resistance. But Mayor Alan Corlin offered a few discouraging words about the lady and her attitude toward the Council.

Undeterred, Ms. Gross, a fighter who fiercely resists surrendering when she believes in a cause, pushed back.

A couple members of the City Council supposedly do not like the hot-tempered lady because of the public name-calling way she has treated them.

Whoa, said Ms. Gross. This is not personal — or it should not be. This is about the lady’s record of service to Culver City, she said firmly.

A Breakthrough

Mr. Corlin looked down the dais. His frequent ally, Scott Malsin, softened the mood by quietly acknowledging that the lady’s work merited recognition.

Entirely unthrilled by the comment, Mr. Corlin grudgingly agreed — with the proviso that he inspect the contents of the predictable gushing language before the certificate is finalized.

Then it was Ms. Gross’s turn to resist. Her expression plunged to 31 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mr. Corlin, smelling victory, even if it was slightly Pyrrhic, assured the strongly skeptical Ms. Gross this was normal procedure.

Which 100 Words?

She did not speak, at least audibly. But there were about a hundred words etched across her doubting face. Some might not have been printable in the newspaper.

And so, dear reader, this is your dilemma:

Should a resident who has served out a City Hall appointment be honored with a certificate merely for fulfilling the term?

Definitely, Ms. Gross says.

“You don’t honor someone because you like the person,” she said. “We honor individuals for specific service to the city.”

Sour sparring between the Mayor and Vice Mayor is almost a weekly attraction at City Council meetings.

When I asked Ms. Gross if quality of the honoree’s service should be a consideration, she said of Mr. Corlin:

Upon Reflection

“I don’t think he has knowledge of the quality of her service. Nor do I think he has attended a meeting to watch her.

“Your focus should be on the service to the city, not the person.

“I have given commendations to people I don’t like, and to people who don’t like me.

“Our activity on the dais is not supposed to be personal. If you have thin skin, you should not be up there.

“Up there on the dais, you are more than yourself. You are representing the city, not Carol Gross.

“If you don’t like someone, you don’t lay it out there, in front of a roomful of people.

“That is mean.

“It is insulting.”

Some late Monday nights, said Ms. Gross, she has been quite upset when she left City Hall after a Council meeting. But she did not vent at City Hall, in front of others.

“Instead,” she said, “I went home and ranted and raved there.”