Jeff Cooper, a veteran, this morning became the first candidate for next spring’s City Council election to poke his head above the ground, and here is why he wanted to open the bidding.
“I was one of the last” to enter last year’s teeming 9-way race,” said the banker/businessman known for his outgoing personality. “That did not help me, and I wanted to make sure I did not make that mistake this time.”
Mr. Cooper finished close enough to the three winning candidates — Chris Armenta, Mehaul O’Leary and Mayor Andy Weissman — to convince him that with some tweaking he could win one of the two seats that will be open.
Councilman Gary Silbiger will be term limited and Scott Malsin is expected to defend his chair in a run for a second term.
The eager Mr. Cooper declared his intention to run weeks ahead of the opening filing date and a scant 14 months after last year’s election.
There was nothing to wait for.
“After last year’s election,” Mr. Cooper said, “there was not anything for me to decide. It was pretty much automatic that I would run this time.
“I was already geared up, and that was not going to change.”
An Exchange Club member and father of two teenagers, Mr. Cooper has been a leader and a participant in a wide range of communal activities throughout his two decades in Culver City, including the Car Show and this weekend’s Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza.
He has just completed 10 years of service on the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission.
Mr. Cooper is a founding member of the Friends of the Culver City Dog Park, and he is a popular figure around the Senior Center as a volunteer.
“In these challenging economic and fiscal times for our nation, state and municipalities,” he said in a prepared statement, “I will bring a wide breadth of experience as a small business entrepreneur and professional banker to the City Council.
“We need to make hard choices in the coming years to sustain our high quality of life in Culver City. Our civic leaders must choose fiscal responsibility, accountability and long term gains over short term solutions and easy answers.
“I believe that the decisions made by our Council need to ensure Culver City’s economic viability for future generations. By doing so, our community will thrive and prosper.”
