Without necessarily knowing the answer, Thomas Small, new City Councilman, is not the kind of guy who lounges about in tee-shirt and jeans, crowned by a used baseball cap.
His style is not on the same planet as the casual types.
When Mr. Small unwrapped his first electoral attempt last winter, he introduced the rare political concept of elegance to Culver City campaigning.
Elegance accompanied by accessibility is a seldom-seen matchup – usually it is one or the other.
Without remotely displaying airs, Mr. Small further introduced the twin concepts of impressively traveled man of the world who is an almost down-home family man, well-established Hayden Tract homeowner with a lovely wife, and they are the parents of 8-year-old twins.
Does that sound like fuel for a motion picture script?
What more magnetic portfolio could a first-time candidate bring?
Glamour.
As an architectural consultant/journalist/critic and fine arts maven, there was almost no need for Mr. Small to go to the voters.
Put this man in office.
Joanna Brody, Mr. Small’s wife, probably captured him best on Election Night:
“This was no surprise to me,”
she said. “My husband is very charismatic and he exudes intelligence.”
Long established residents (10 years) with expertise in architecture-design-traffic control dive into Culver City’s political soup as often as Halley’s comet is visible, every 75 years.
Over the din of celebration in his much-noted, high-ceilinged Carson Street home late on Election Day evening, Mr. Small was asked to attribute his victory.
“I think Culver City saw the content in the stories I was telling,” said the Councilman.
“The essence of the stories was that I can help Culver City in substantive ways.”
In the midst of a major redevelopment period after a sleepy stretch of about eight years, “I bring the kind of experience that the city needs at this time. I bring a background that is very different, with (equally weighted) emphases on culture, on architecture, on design and on sustainability.”
Stepping smartly across the finish line, “I am so delighted voters saw that message,” Mr. Small said.
