Re “Outrage at Malsin Merely Is the Democratic Process at Work”
It may well be that negative attacks and personal animosities are just a part of the “democratic process” –
• As I suppose was the “Swift Boats for Justice” campaign that sought to turn a decorated war hero into a coward,
• As was I suppose the whispering campaign initiated by Karl Rove, during the South Carolina primary of 2000 that implied an adopted indonesian child was secretly Sen. McCain's black love child,
• As was, I suppose the infamous Willie Horton smear campaign against Gov. Dukakis.
All of this was a part of the “democratic process,” but hardly anything to be proud of.
Personally, I am proud to support Scott Malsin for City Council. And proud of the positive, ethical campaign he has run.
Ms. Scott may be contacted at jscott4111@earthlink.net
I Like Meghan Because Her Mind Is So Innovative
From Brian Treanor
While the national economy seems, finally, to be heading in the right direction, the past several years have taught all of us the importance of making wise decisions in the face of economic uncertainty and decreased federal and state support for our community.
This is one reason I’m so enthusiastic about the candidacy of Meghan Salhi-Wells in Tuesday’s City Council election. She is an advocate for a stronger, smarter and better fiscal direction for our city.
She has come up with a number of innovative proposals to save the city money: eliminating waste by consolidating overlapping services from City Hall and CCUSD, combining city and School District elections to save over $100,000 (and increase voter turnout), and, crucially, stimulating the local economy by supporting Culver City businesses.
It would be easy, in uncertain economic times, to make any number of ill-conceived concessions to short-term economic gain—build large office buildings, authorize big electronic billboards, and so forth.
But the long-term consequences of short-term fixes often are regrettable. Ask anyone stuck during the morning commute if tearing up the Red Cars was in our long-term interest.
What distinguishes Meghan’s economic vision is that it is deeply committed to supporting both our local businesses and the quality of life in Culver City. She is for stimulating local consumption, which is good for both residents and businesses. She has suggested a thorough review of city purchases and contracts to see where they can be contracted locally, supporting the local economy. And she is in favor of promoting Culver City’s arts and cultural attractions, which brings visitors, and their dollars, to our city.
In short, Meghan is for a smart, vibrant, sustainable local economy, the kind of economic vision that is good for businesses and residents, the kind that is healthy today and over the long haul.
I am encouraging everyone I know to vote on Tuesday, and to support Meghan’s vision of a healthy, happy, prosperous, and sustainable Culver City.
Brian Treanor, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Director of Environmental Studies at Loyola Marymount University, may be contacted at btreanor@lmu.edu
Meghan Should Be Elected for So Many Reasons
From Rebecca Rona-Tuttle
I enthusiastically endorse Meghan Sahli-Wells for City Council.
So many reasons, so little space. But here are a few:
Meghan believes our residents must be involved in the decisions that affect them. She has persevered to make certain that the members of our community have the opportunity to become involved.
One example: She pushed the City Council to adopt new guidelines for notifying the public about proposed developments so that residents would have a better opportunity to participate in the development process—and she finally succeeded in getting the City Council to adopt new notification guidelines.
A second example: She pushed for greater outreach to the community around the Parcel B development so that more residents could give their input.
A third example: Whenever Meghan goes door-to-door campaigning, she always asks residents what they think about various city issues because their points of view are important to her and valuable.
Meghan is one determined and effective individual. She spoke out first about the importance of banning plastic bags, and now all the candidates agree with her. She fought to scale back the controversial 4043 Irving Pl. development to prevent lead contamination from endangering nearby schoolchildren and residents—and won.
Whenever Meghan focuses upon an important Culver City issue, she succeeds in attracting dozens or scores of residents to participate. Her enthusiasm is contagious; her ability to create consensus is powerful and productive. And she’s drawing more of Culver City’s younger residents into our civic life.
Meghan is realistic, pragmatic and creative. She knows full well the difficult times we’re living in. But she also believes that with out-of-the-box thinking there is much we can do to address Culver City’s problems and improve life in our community.
Please join me in voting for Meghan on Tuesday.
Ms. Rona-Tuttle may be contacted at Rebecca.rona@hotmail.com
