[img]1048|left|Jim Clarke||no_popup[/img]Standing before 21 members of the 28-person Chamber of Commerce board early yesterday morning at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Jim B. Clarke was “a bit nervous.”
Walking back to his car, on the way downtown to his job in Mayor Villaraigosa’s office, he thought to himself, “I may have been too quick on some of my answers.”
Steve Rose was on his mind, too. During the grilling, the funloving CEO/Prez of the Chamber was clutching a cowbell that he threatened to wave if the candidate exceeded the time limit.
“I didn’t want to have the cowbell rung on me,” Mr. Clarke said.
He never used up the allotted time on any of the five questions posed by Chamber Chair Goran Eriksson.
To his relief and delight 2½ hours later, Mr. Clarke was informed he had earned one of the four Chamber endorsements for the April 10 City Council election.
The most potentially enlightening question was:
What distinguishes you from your rivals?
Here is how Mr. Clarke answered:
“I am the only candidate with current and significant public sector experience. I know how local government works, and sometimes doesn’t work. I know local government issues.
“Another item that separates me is the contacts I have made at the local, state and federal levels with other agencies, with our two U.S. senators, the 14 members of our Congressional delegation in Los Angeles and our state representatives.”
Then he exhaled.
Door to Door Salesman
Launching his shoe leather campaign last Saturday, Mr. Clarke concentrated on the southertly neighborhoods around El Rincon School. At one point he was amazed to look up and find rival candidate Andy Weissman, a first-term Councilman, directly behind him, knocking on the same doors.
Technically, this was new for the longtime deputy to some of his hometown’s best-known politicians.
Most recently Mr. Clarke was walking the voter neighborhoods of San Pedro for veteran pol Warren Furutani, who lost a City Council race to replace one of the newest members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-South Bay).
Mr. Clarke said that while Culver City residents were accommodating, not so many were home on a gorgeous winter weekend. “Out of a hundred doors you knock on,” he said, “maybe you talk to 10 or 15 people.”
He will return this weekend, in search of the missing 85.
Mr. Clarke’s campaign website is jim4culvercitycouncil.com
