When Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells sought support at Monday evening’s City Council meeting for Culver City to join the amicus brief in President Obama’s same-sex marriage case before the U.S. Supreme Court, the vice mayor – not for the first time — asked to be called upon last.
Expectedly, Councilmembers Jim Clarke, Jeff Cooper and Andy Weissman assented to her request.
But the vote would not be unanimous.
When the vice mayor’s turn came back, Mehaul O’Leary announced he was abstaining.
None of our business, in his opinion, and he proceeded to deliver a scorching view.
“I would imagine the Supreme Court’s decision will be based on their beliefs and what the Constitution intended.”
“This is not a subject the city of Culver City needs to weigh in on,” he said. “This is the Supreme Court’s decision to make.
“The Supreme Court, I hope, is not going to change its mind based on an amicus brief from Culver City.
“This is a feel-good thing for us to do.
“It’s the Supreme Court’s job to make a determination without the influence of outsiders,” Mr. O’Leary said.
“For us to send an amicus brief, to me, it’s a joke.
“It makes us feel good. It may make the residents of Culver City feel good about themselves.
“This is not something we have to spend an hour of our precious agenda time on, a matter that will have no effect on anything.”
Mr. O’Leary hardly was finished as he prepared a bevy of scorchers.
Critically, he cited the pro-amicus brief comments from the audience by former Councilman Gary Silbiger, a proud liberal. “There was sarcasm in his tone,” Mr. O’Leary said, “bashing Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama for their views on gay marriage. Let’s not be more South than they are.
“These comments are exactly what the mainstream press and the political arena want us to be. They want us to be separated so they always can depend on their vote.
“As soon as people like me decline-to-state,” said Mr. O’Leary, “oh, the parties are so frustrated because they can’t put us in a box. And if they can’t put us in a box, they can’t predict or poll us.”
