The Blair Hills homeowners organization took the Jenny Craig approach to shabby chic at last night’s City Council Candidates Forum at Culver City’s only yeshiva, Ohr Eliyahu Academy.
The program was merely shabby, lacking entirely in quality control and professionalism.
The “moderator” opted to convert himself into a disinterested bystander instead of directing traffic.
The format neither was clear nor followed.
It was one step worse than disorganized.
A high-speed train wreck would have been more orderly.
Candidates Were Warned
The first tipoff of uninspired turbulence came when each of the candidates was called and asked to provide a question that he or she wanted to answer.
So much for spontaneity.
In some minds, that tactic evoked a scenario of television wrestling.
Befuddled and without a plan, the reticent “moderator” effectively tossed a ball in the air and invited the audience of about 50 and the eight candidates to have a run at each other.
Disappointed and disgruntled, the contenders for three Council seats in Tuesday’s election were reduced to brawling schoolyard tactics.
A free-for-all ensued. Surely it was the worst-run Candidates Forum ever attempted in Culver City.
What Happened to Chaos?
Seated at a long table, it was every man for himself.
Without direction or even a vague format in sight, the candidates were not allowed to relax. Each was forced to scramble in an effort to be the first one to stand up.
Even with cultured ladies and gentleman, this is surefire recipe for failure.
When two or more persons stood simultaneously, the bewildered “moderator” shrugged, permitting the candidates to sort out the order for themselves.
Frequently, the candidates spoke as long as they wished even though there was a timekeeper.
Strong Weissman Performance
The result was a florid mess that undoubtedly embarrassed any resident who wanted his usually highly regarded neighborhood to shine for the inspection of the next three new Council members.
Undeterred by the surrounding tsunami, Andy Weissman, the most experienced, most knowledgeable, calmest, most reflective candidate, had the strongest evening, as he has at every forum.
With his first spoken syllable, he towers over the field. The runnerup is distant.
Jeff Cooper and Mehaul O’Leary had good showings, and Christopher Armenta was right there alongside them.
Such as it creakily was, the program careened into a ditch when a question was posed about the state of Brotman Medical Center, which is widely regarded as suffering from near-terminal corporate heart failure.
Will Culver City’s only hospital survive?
If so, in what form?
How will the new City Council stabilize Brotman, which has been tottering so long it may become known as the Leaning Tower of Culver City.
The questions had the effect of throwing a hot dog into the middle of an athletic field and encouraging a hundred starved persons to dive for a crumb of it.
Chaos’s cousin, me-first confusion, took charge since no one else wanted to. Six or seven candidates wanted to be first.
With emotional stoutness — denoted by their unflagging certitude — most candidates promised that Brotman would survive, regardless of tall water or a fiery destination in the world to come.
They would virtually bet their families on the outcome.
Upon Further Reflection
Only Mr. Weissman stood back from the welter of passions flooding the room. Reflecting the chin-stroking insight of one who has successfully weathered crises, he said, in a measured manner, “I hope we don’t lose Brotman. We need it.”
Whereas others were employing the Council to virtually storm the gates in an effort to rescue Brotman — at least the Emergency Room — Mr. Weissman again was the calming voice of prudence.
“There is very little the City Council can do at the front end,” he said, adding a clincher:
“We have a hard enough time fixing the streets and keeping trees trimmed. We don’t need to get into the hospital business.”
Unscheduled Speech
After Mr. O’Leary vowed that “Brotman is not going anywhere,” Prof. Patricia Siever of West Los Angeles College, a member of the Brotman Board of Governors, arose from her seat in the second row.
She proceeded to deliver a stirring — not to mention lengthy — defense of the commonly criticized, and highly secretive, Brotman operation.
She pledged that “the Emergency Room will be here forever.”
In the midst of Ms. Siever’s oration, Mr. Cooper, frustrated that the program was aimlessly wandering, anyone speaking when and for as long as he wanted to, said aloud, “This is ridiculous. Are we here for the audience or for the candidates?”
Ms. Siever saved her strongest assertion for the end:
“One of the main problems is that the City Council has not supported Brotman in the past.”
Ms. Siever is the wife of candidate Dr. Luther Henderson.
Evaluating the City Manager
The evening was salvaged from utter ruination 15 minutes before the program collapsed and died.
From the front row, Ken Alexander, husband of outgoing City Treasurer Crystal Alexander, gave the candidates a rare juicy bone to chew on.
“The question is, what do they think of the job (City Manager) Jerry Fulwood is doing, and whether they would like to see him retained.”
This was not entirely a disinterested inquiry.
Ms. Alexander, who will lose her position when the revised City Charter becomes effective on Tuesday, has been jousting for long months with Mr. Fulwood over her post-Tuesday job status.
She has a job off in-hand from Mr. Fulwood, and she is pondering it this weekend. (See nearby related story.)
Finally, the candidates had a rare opportunity to show off an original opinion. Most were negative. They seemed anxious to summarily dump him, again with the notable exception of Mr. Weissman.
Salary Too High?
Cary Anderson objected to Mr. Fulwood on the grounds his salary is larger than President Bush’s. (It isn’t.)
Mr. O’Leary said that since Mr. Fulwood was hired prior to implementation of the new City Charter, he should have to apply for the job instead of transferring laterally from his old position of Chief Administrative Officer.
Mr. Armenta, the outgoing City Clerk, said he was in Council Chambers the night the City Manager was awarded a sizable raise. “I opposed it then and I oppose it now,” he said.
Dr. Henderson corrected Mr. Anderson’s salary error. He agreed with Mr. Armenta that once the new Council is seated, it would be appropriate to review Mr. Fulwood’s job performance.
Loni Anderson declared that “there is a lot of unhappiness with the leadership of the city.” She predicted that “we will be looking for a new leader.”
A Closer Inspection
Mr. Cooper said that while he has heard complaints about a morale problem, he is reserving judgment until he is in position to see for himself.
Mr. Weissman reminded those eager to remove Mr. Fulwood that he holds a contract “that is not easily terminable,” without a inflicting a major financial penalty on the city.
If, however, a majority of Council members decides to act, he said the search for a new chief executive would be the first roadtest for the massaged City Charter. “This would be an opportunity to test whether we can go out and recruit the best and the brightest,” Mr. Weissman said.
