Two days removed from Measure Y’s fat 77 to 23 percent victory in the lone Culver City ballot question, City Councilman Jim Clarke felt safe in admitting what seemed like an open secret for the last six months:
“I don’t think the outcome ever was in doubt.”
Rare is the ballot veteran who ventures into that virgin territory.
“The original polling we did in May showed there was about 70 percent approval,” Mr. Clarke said.
Although a state of worry officially was articulated around City Hall, perspiration beads – and rosary beads, for that matter – never were detected.
Mr. Clarke thinks one clincher for the half-cent sales tax increase that arrives in mid-spring was the 10-year sunset clause. Agreeing to form a mostly lay person Financial Advisory Committee “further strengthened it.”
Does such lopsided poll-type support make a product more perilous to sell to the public because of the temptation of overconfidence?
“It was not a matter of being overconfident,” Mr. Clarke said. “For us, the issue was that this would be voted on in the midst of a Presidential election, where a lot more people (than normal) would be voting. The question was whether those kinds of people were following Measure Y closely enough.
“About 14,000 votes were cast out of 23,000 registered voters, well over 50 percent, whereas last spring for the City Council election, the turnout was around 19 percent.
“Something else: There always is a dropoff from the top of the ticket. If a hundred people vote for President, by the time you get down to the bottom of the ballot, maybe 85 people will vote.
How Did They Vote?
“I will be curious to see how that worked in Culver City. That was an unknown for us, whether people who seldom vote would say yes, no or pass.
“This is interesting,” Mr. Clarke, a freshman Councilman, said, “because there has been discussion about saving money by moving municipal elections to align with Presidential and gubernatorial elections.
“One argument against is that city issues would be overshadowed and get lost amidst the publicity from elsewhere.
“We may have to take a look at it.”
Mr. Postman
When Mr. Clarke was asked his view, he moved in another direction.
“Actually,” he said, “I would like to see us look at doing more of an all-mail ballot. Two states, Oregon and Washington, ran their Presidential elections with all-mail ballots.
“That would be a way to save money.
“Besides, it’s getting harder to recruit poll workers. You end up combining precincts. I was at Raintree, and Blair Hills also was voting there.”
A Nagging Concern
Measure Y’s victory was almost but not quite as “impressive” as Mr. Clarke expected it to be. “A 77 percent victory, yes,” he said. “But it still meant 23 percent, almost one out of four, chose to vote no.
“I don’t know the reasons. Could be a dislike of taxes. Also, people don’t trust government, that we spend too much money and don’t spend it well.
“I am pleased the community has rallied around and values the level of services. We still have an obligation to residents, especially to those who voted no, to demonstrate we will spend their money wisely.
“We are continuing to try and find ways to cut expenses so we won’t become bloated with it,” said the Councilman.
Mr. Clarke hopes that resistors will take a second look, realize “that we are taking steps to reduce costs, even now. I hope the Financial Advisory Committee will help publicize that. Good communication is the issue, letting taxpayers know we are spending their money responsibly.”
