Home News How Meghan Spiked Her Re-Election Bid

How Meghan Spiked Her Re-Election Bid

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Mr. Herbertson, left, with City Manager John Nachbar

With less than three weeks to go before Election Day on April 12, City Councilperson Meghan Sahli-Wells, the lone incumbent in the large field, is coming off of one of the strongest days of her campaign.

If Ms. Sahli-Wells would shop video copies of yesterday’s final budget hearing across the community, she doubtless would convert her re-election bid into a cinch.

On the third straight afternoon of departmental budget reviews/projections in the Dan Patacchia Room at City Hall, Ms. Sahli-Wells was the star.

Quiet-mannered Public Works Director Charles Herbertson was in the limelight. The native Virginian’s frills-free presentation was as tidily efficient as he has been warning Culver City residents to be in the midst of the drought crisis.

Even though he completed his overview inside of 15 minutes, a record, he was no more finished than a man beginning a round-the-world exploration.

Almost before he could say thank-you to the City Council, the astutely informed, passionately interested Ms. Sahli-Wells started peppering Mr. Herbertson with inquiring questions.

Forty-five minutes after Mr. Herbertson ended his talk, Ms. Sahli-Wells’s relentless, penetrating fast-paced  questions continued.

As Culver City’s premier bicyclist, a number of inquiries dealt with her favorite pastime, dedicated bike lanes and safety for bicyclists traveling short and lengthier distances.

Her backers would have gleamed with pride, and skeptics, non-fans or opponents would have applauded her hallmark performance.

The diversity and depth of Ms. Sahli-Wells’s questioning convincingly demonstrated that she has executed her City Council handbook responsibilities.

At the heart of the handbook rules is the duty that members should tune in consistently and insistently to the kaleidoscope of community views, and then act.

Ms. Sahli-Wells showed by her line of questions that has been doing precisely that.

The only downside was that budget hearings play to a zero community audience – except for four office-seekers, Scott Wyant, Thomas Small, Goran Eriksson, and Ms. Sahli-Wells.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Meghan for a long time has said she moved to Culver City in 1984 but I was told that she grew up in Oregon after her parents divorced. I don’t know if this is true, but if it is true it’s terrible news for Megan because she has been misleading the Culver City community for years. Please tell me it’s not true Megan! What school did Megan attend in Culver City by the way? Some proof would be nice.

  2. PBeale and Hmarin,

    It’s a simple lunatic question but guess those that attended Hogwarts don’t need to magically answer it. Yes, I understand how I come off to everyone else…but what’s ridiculous is no one is answering the question. Why?

  3. With all due respect to Mr. Hopkins, can we please try to ensure our little town of Culver City does not descend into birther style questions?

  4. You actually want someone to answer your self admittedly ‘lunatic’ question with a sensible answer?

    H In that case, here’s a few more questions that I would like answered:
    1 – Did Adam and Eve have navels?
    2 – How long is a piece of string?
    3 – Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food?

    I DEMAND ANSWERS.

  5. May I add a question as well?

    Why don’t the residents of the 10700 block of Farragut Dr. want a parking study done to determine if their parking is currently adequate, inadequate or unfair to the the other residents of Culver City? This simple question has gotten so out of hand with name calling, threatened lawsuits, actual lawsuits, secret society’s, election flyers against certain people running for City Council with no identification as to who the author’s are, post after post after post on Facebook and in this newspaper.

    If it turns out that non-residents can park on the block for up to 2 hours, is the world going to end? Is the “quality of life” for the residents really going to change? I would guess the answer is “No”. If it turns out the resident’s parking restrictions are justified, and the parking restrictions remain as they are, is the world going to end? Again the answer is “No”.

    Grace Church has been on Overland Ave. for 71 years. I think there is a very good chance they will be there for 71 more. Happy Easter everyone!!

  6. Ken Smith simply refuses to comprehend the bigger legal issues.

    First, the City Council has no legal authority to modify the Farragut Parking Restrictions that were grandfathered as recently as November 2013 by the same Council Members who now sit on the City Council. They can study all they want, but the City Council has no right to modify the Farragut Parking Restrictions under the pretext of a “parking study.” Second, if the City Council wishes to change the parking law to obtain authority to modify parking restrictions in established districts, it must give city-wide notice of the proposed law change. The residents have a right to a public hearing. Third, the City Council sneakily changed the parking law without adequate notice and, thus, violated the Brown Act.

    I think that these are legal issue above Ken Smith’s pay grade. They are “simple issues.”

    This is an issue of whether the City Council can change laws on a whim, based upon political connections, at the expense of the unconnected. Further, the concept of full disclosure of conflicts of interest has not reached Culver City.

  7. As I understand it, even though it is above my “pay grade”, the Culver City City Council is elected by the residents of the city to carry out the business of the city. This includes drafting a budget, which they are currently doing, hiring the city manager, city attorney and most department heads. They have the “Legal Authority” and responsibility to run all aspects of the city. This includes, but is not limited to, asking the staff to advise them on a great number of issues, including the residential parking restrictions on Farragut Dr.

    The city staff DOES NOT set policy, nor do they ENACT any laws for the city.

    The sitting city council has every right to review parking restrictions that were allowed by a former council and make any changes they deem necessary. They have EVERY RIGHT to modify the current parking restrictions on Farragut Dr. Apparently this will to be be settled in a court of law based on the lawsuits that have been filed by Les Greenberg. I anticipate there will be further lawsuits brought against the city by Les Greenberg until all legal avenues have been exhausted. At that point, we can all move on the more important issues.

    The above statements are my opinions, and mine alone.

    In addition, as a member of Grace Lutheran Church, I would like to thank the residents of Farragut Dr. for leaving the majority of the parking spaces in front of their homes open this Easter morning. We had a large number of members and visitors to our services and all of them found a place to park…

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