Third in a series
Re “Mayor-to-be Meghan Sees Council Progress on Flagging Fracking”
[img]1154|right|Meghan Sahli-Wells||no_popup[/img]Meghan Sahli-Wells, who will make history this evening when she becomes a Culver City rarity, a woman mayor, at the 7 o’clock City Council meeting, is confident that most residents share her view “that we need to move forward on protecting the environment.
“You can do that whether you believe in global warming or not.”
The ideological differences between the left and right are quite bridgeable, Ms. Sahli-Wells, a longtime environmental activist, said. “It is interesting how close fiscal conservatives are to conservationists,” she said. “It is about not wasting resources, and that happens to be really good for the environment.
“Obviously, this kind of thinking fits in with (my) goal of being a child-friendly city, thinking about their future.
“That is the kind of big idea that I want to pursue for this year,” said the almost-mayor.
Ms. Sahli-Wells was asked how important it is to her to take her place in Culver City history as a woman mayor.
“Very,” she said.
“One of the reasons I ran for office was that I wasn’t feeling represented. I am not saying all of the decisions were horrible.
“As a woman and as a mother, I felt I had things to bring to the table, in terms of quality of life in Culver City. That, maybe, isn’t quite such a focus for men.
“The fact is,” said Ms. Sahli-Wells, the outgoing vice mayor, “that women represent a majority of the population. It is pretty distressing to me so few women are in office.”
The young mother of two sons was asked if she thinks that will change in her lifetime.
“I hope so,” she said. “Anytime the Girl Scouts, or any group, asks me to speak to children, I am willing to go.
“Having the title of mayor is largely symbolic in Culver City, and the difference in power compared with the other City Council members isn’t that much. But the symbol is.”
(To be continued)
