Kathy Paspalis, one of three new members of the School Board who will be installed in a month, had been described as having a low profile in the community before competing in this week’s election.
Such an assessment tends to discount or bypass the significance of regional/neighborhood support.
There is a temptation to use this vague characterization interchangeably with “unknown.”
Hardly the case with Ms. Paspalis. For years, she has been a well-liked parent activist in the El Marino School community.
Secondly, she was well organized from the beginning, a factor ften minimized in small-town elections.
Well, she was known someplace — and definitely by the right people in that someplace.
A Roadmap for Victory
As the No. 2 votegetter on Tuesday night, Ms. Paspalis, an attorney, had clearly organized an impressive array of support on both ends of the barrel, retail and wholesale.
She came within 63 votes of catching the most popular choice in the six-person field, Karlo Silbiger.
Part of the explanation for this surprising response by voters is that Ms. Paspalis, a first-time candidate, immediately attracted a heavyweight lineup of leading political figures/volunteers who understand exactly how City Hall works.
She also assembled grassroots supporters, new and old friends, and fans who believed in her maternal/professional approach to running for the School Board.
At her victory party on Tuesday night, Ms. Paspalis strode purposefully and businesslike through the crowded, brightly lit home of former City Treasurer Crystal Alexander — just like her profile says.
Stepping aside for a moment while accepting congratulations on her strong finish, Ms. Paspalis explained that more than 100 supporters fanned out across Culver City, carrying with them the Paspalis message.
A hundred volunteers — that is an socko-sized army to be knocking on doors for four months.
“I learned a lot about how to reach the voters of Culver City, and that is by walking the precincts,” Ms. Paspalis said.
“Any good campaign manager will tell you that what you do is to look at who votes in local elections. Plenty come out for Presidential or congressional elections. But not everybody participates in local elections. That is a shame.Those are the folks you want to talk to.
“Then you talk to your friends.
“Talk to the people who may not be on that list of regular votes. Put them all together, and then you have a pool of voters.”
Ms. Paspalis said she felt “very hopeful and optimistic” when she awakened on the morning of Election Day.
She entered the final hours with what might be called a premonition.
“As I walked the precincts the last three weekends,” she said, “I spoke to many folks who already had voted. Most of them said they had voted for me, or for me and somebody else. That was the begnning of a very good litmus test for me.”
