Starting at 7 o’clock, this will be a bittersweet evening in Council Chambers.
Klieg lights will shine on a ritual that plays out every other year on the final Monday evening in April:
One, two or three sitting Council members will stand – reluctantly — to leave just as their eager, fresh-faced replacements stride through the door.
In a not-incidental moment that long has been anticipated, the veteran Councilman Jim Clarke, the inspiration, the father of, and the main mover of the Culver City Centennial celebration, is due to be elected mayor by his new and old colleagues.
Jeff Cooper is expected to be chosen as vice mayor.
First, though, their predecessors will occupy the light one last time.
For mere minutes, term-limited Mayor Mehaul O’Leary and term-limited Vice Mayor Andy Weissman will occupy their seats on the dais before stepping away.
While the rules allow them to re-run for office after standing on the sidelines for two years, history says their return is unlikely. Few have tried. Success has been elusive.
On the second hand, this promises to be a night bursting with joy for the three winners of the City Council race two weeks ago:
Incumbent Meghan Sahli-Wells starting her second term, and newcomers Thomas Small and Goran Eriksson, who finished second and third among the seven candidates.
Mr. Small steps up from the Cultural Affairs Commission. Mr. Eriksson advances from the chairmanship of the Finance Advisory Committee.
