In the midst of a seemingly routine discussion this morning about healthcare benefits for officeholders, City Councilman Andy Weissman said that he will make a potentially groundbreaking proposal at Monday night’s meeting.
This could be a thunderbolt, announced the day before Mr. Weissman will host a major fundraiser for his re-election campaign at 6:30 Saturday night at the Culver Studios (weissmanforcouncil.com).
He alluded to this kind of move at last Tuesday’s Culver Crest Candidates Forum.
However, his decision did not become final until this morning.
Surveying his three colleagues on the one-member-short Council, Mr, Weissman will take the first dramatic step in a conceivably historic attempt to end benefits when a Council member leaves office.
The policy of lifetime coverage has been in place for decades, and was sharply trimmed back last year for budgetary reasons.
The shock-wave move prompted veteran Councilman Scott Malsin to resign on Dec. 12 to protect his original benefits.
Like Mr. Weissman, Mr. Malsin also is running for a new term in the April 10 election when four seats will be open.
Since a majority is required to agendize a meeting topic, Mr. Weissman will seek to interest two Councilmen to concur. Especially in the present charged climate, affirmation seems likely.
Historically, benefits for Council members have been pure backdrop material, little known and even less noted by the most ardent observers of City Hall.
Perhaps for the first time, it has become a matter of discussion in fiscal crisis times that the Council members receive what critics call lavish benefits even though they are part-time employees.
The explanation is that their packages are linked to those that have been negotiated by the Culver City Management Group.
While the Council is governed by the rules applying to executive management, Mr. Weissman said, members could withdraw “by adopting a resolution that would be effective on a certain date.
“If the will is there – three votes – we could lifetime retiree medical benefits. They could change the policy to provide, as an example, that Council people are entitled to health benefits during their term in office. Benefits end when their term does.”
