“This is going to be fun,” the high-spirited community activist Jeff Cooper enthused this morning about his embryonic campaign for a City Council seat in the April municipal election.
As the eighth candidate in a gradually crowding race for three term-limited seats, Mr. Cooper has been a regular, and smiling, presence around City Hall since the turn of the century.
He may be best and most recently known as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
This is his first run for office, but challenging for a seat on the dais is not a new idea.
“I have been thinking about this for the last several years, seriously for the past six months,” Mr. Cooper told the newspaper.
His strength: “I find solutions to problems.”
The Master Plan for Vets Auditorium, traffic congestion and responsible development are the community issues that animate him most.
Changing Roles
A home mortgage consultant, he was — and says he still is — a supporter of race favorite Andy Weissman when the Council race started to gather steam early in the autumn. The difference is that now Mr. Weissman is only Mr. Cooper’s second most favorite candidate.
When he inspected the rest of the field — which brought two unknowns to the fore on Friday and Mr. Cooper yesterday — he decided the race was tailored to suit his qualifications.
Married to Rafia, the Coopers are the parents of two high school-aged daughters, Alyssa and Rhianna. Before he declared his intention yesterday at the City Clerk’s office on the ground floor of City Hall, Mr. Cooper said he wanted to be certain “I had my family’s support.”
A centrist Democrat and a founding member of the Culver City Dog Park, he has been a visible presence as a Parks Commissioner — a willing communicator of his views, but neither outspoken nor withdrawn. It really is not important he is a registered Democrat, said Mr. Cooper.
“I will do what is best for Culver City, not for Democrats or Republicans.”
He does not wilt easily. Not a technocrat, he is entering electoral politics because “I really enjoy the process.”
He Is Talking the Limit
Mr. Cooper is in the race to win, not merely compete.
He talked about serving two productive four-year terms. Referring to 2016, eight years from now, “Only then will I be satisfied,” he said.
Realizing that he probably is the last contender to enter the race, Mr. Cooper, speaking as he drove to his next appointment for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, said the (campaign) hour is late. He expects to make further announcements within the next 72 hours.
The Field
Yesterday, Dr. Luther Henderson became only the second City Council candidate to complete his paperwork and filing obligations with the City Clerk. Mr. Weissman was the first.
The other contenders are Dr. Loni Anderson, Christopher Armenta, Mehaul O’Leary, Gary Russell and Randy Scott Leslie.
Friday at the close of business is the filing deadline.
