This won’t take long, did it?
Twenty-eight days after dramatically announcing at the end of a meeting he was stepping down from the City Council to protect his healthcare benefits, Scott Malsin, as widely forecast, reversed himself. He declared this morning at 11:30 he was a candidate to step back up to the City Council in the April 10 election, taking out papers at the City Clerk’s office.
His U-turn did not surprise even the most amateurish Culver City observer — or the Culver City Observer.
Thus ended the first less-than-a-month retirement in Council history.
Mr. Malsin’s odd, unprecedented mid-air withdrawal last month drew strong criticism. Similar barbs are expected to blow back into town with the former Councilman’s imminent return to campaigning.
A City Hall-area woman involved with many campaigns predicted this afternoon that Mr. Malsin’s candidacy will change the entire election environment during the next 90 days.
“The tone of our campaigns usually is gentle and cordial,” she said.
“The tone will be different, this time, harsher I imagine than it has been in the past. People will say things that are uncomfortable.”
During a weekend meeting at a popular dining spot, when a man spoke up positively about Mr. Malsin and his accomplishments over the last six years, several others present were vocal about their stern opposition to his recent maneuvers.
Proving that even in a small town like Culver City, earth-moving events can occur in a finger-snap, Mr. Malsin’s reclamation project figures this afternoon to be far more complicated than it looked on the memorable night of Dec. 12.
He officially becomes the sixth candidate for the four open seats.
If he seemed like a cinch 28 days ago to re-win, favorable breezes are not necessarily waving in his direction now.
Talk last month was that only four candidates would enter the derby.
Every contestant would win. The only downside was that the fourth place finisher would have his pride wounded and his skin pierced.
The No. 4 votegetter would be stuck with the short-changed two-year term. The other three seats are for the full term of four years.
With formidable opposition provided by two incumbents, Andy Weissman and Mayor Mehaul O’Leary, and robust outsiders such as Meghan Sahli-Wells and Jim B. Clarke, Mr. Malsin’s sailing into Election Day could find him constantly in choppy waters.
