It was easy to feel empathy for Mehaul O’Leary the other day when the gimmick known as term limits knocked him out of a political job he loved, craved.
In the month that the bachelor Irishman turns 51 years old, he contends, inarguably, that he is at the height of his skills.
Mr. O’Leary possesses the knowledge to govern from strength, having accumulated a treasury of information, counsel, insights – dare one say wisdom? – and the popular authority of having been elected twice, the principal necessities for holding office.
With ample political hobby time on his daily clock, Mr. O’Leary was whirlwind busy with satellite commitments such as with the League of California Cities, typical of semi-public governmental groups that are mystically clouded with almost no community exposure.
In November, there may be a measure on Culver City ballots that would allow elected officials to serve three terms instead of two before being ousted.
When Mr. O’Leary was forced to surrender his mayor’s chair at the same hour that Andy Weissman, a decade and a half older, was forced out of the vice mayor’s chair, it was Mr. O’Leary who spoke out with a passion and an edge of bitterness — that was well received.
At the peak of his skills, where is Mr. O’Leary to go?
Once he spoke of moving inside the Los Angeles city limits – and next year is election year.
That seems to have been discarded.
He has tested friends and colleagues about his prospects for various offices, most recently the state Board of Equalization.
Mr. O’Leary has talked about challenging Jerome Horton – but such a race would be a full year and a half into an uncertain future.
Where he will land is unknown – but that he will challenge and land somewhere seems almost certain.
