Re “A Clarke’s Eye View of the State of Partisanship”
[img]1048|left|Jim Clarke||no_popup[/img]Jim B. Clarke, best known as the Man in the Background, the just-offstage right hand person for well-known politicians such as Diane Watson and Mayor Villaraigosa, took out papers this morning preparatory to entering the burgeoning race for the City Council in Culver City.
A longtime resident, 17 years and 11 of the last 15, Mr. Clarke has worked for and with Democratic leaders throughout a career than spans more than 30 years.
As familiar with the halls of Washington as he is at home on the Westside, he will bring a possibly unprecedented set of dynamics to the race that, at least in these opening moments, will turn the collective campaigns on their heads. None has faced this kind of test from a professionally well-heeled rival.
He will be assuming a drastically new role, not only out front for the first time in his career but as the person in the center ring, the target of the klieg lights.
He met with his boss, Mayor Villaraigosa, to be certain he had job clearance to run for the Council.
Time to Change Planning
The easy-going Mr. Clarke’s candidacy will come as a full-on surprise to many, especially his fellow contenders for the four open seats in the April 10 election.
Mr. Clarke’s entry will be particularly disappointing to outlier Scott Malsin, who has envisioned a fairly unimpeded re-sailing in the spring to reclaim the Council seat he quit amidst limited fanfare last week.
Four days into the month-long candidate filing period, there are precisely four contenders — incumbents Andy Weissman and Mayor Mehaul O’Leary and Meghan Sahli-Wells.
Mr. Clarke’s presence may force these three, and definitely will obligate Mr. Malsin, to restrategize plans for the spring campaign.
Birth of a Campaign
Mr. Clarke told the newspaper this afternoon that competing in this most unorthodox of all previous Council races has been percolating in his nimble mind for a week.
He explained his motivation:
“When Chris Armenta made his announcement (13 days ago that he would not seek re-election), it appeared that four seats were going to be open with only two incumbents running. Chris’s decision changed the whole dynamic of the race.”
The clincher may have occurred last Friday afternoon when state Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Culver City) hosted an event at the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum.
Prominent, unsurprisingly, among the semi-circle of activists and supporters standing toward the rear of a room almost chair-less was the familiar face of Mr. Clarke.
“A bunch of people started bombarding me that day,” he said. “ ‘You really ought to think about running for Council,’ they said. “More and more people began talking to me.
“By last weekend, I said, ‘Let’s look into this.’” Other factors influenced Mr. Clarke’s decision.
“My job duties here at (L.A. City Hall) changed a bit,” he said. Formerly Mayor Villaraigosa’s Director of Federal Relations, he now is the Mayor’s Director of Grants.
“Now I am responsible for bringing grant money into the city, and I won’t have to travel with the Mayor back to D.C.” where he spent four years as senior deputy to now-retired U.S. Rep. Watson (D-Culver City).
“That means I have more regular-type hours” and more time in town.
Mr. Clarke will host a kickoff event on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2 to 4 o’clock, at the Westside Peace Center, on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard, between Venice Boulevard and Washington Place.
(To be continued)
