Second in a series
[img]1048|left|Jim Clarke||no_popup[/img] Re “What a Pleasant Surprise Councilman Clarke Has Been”
How has 64-year-old City Councilman Jim Clarke’s life changed since being elected to public office for the first time last April?
Although the Council is in the midst of a four-week hiatus, his weekends have disappeared when the Council is in session.
“I do a lot more reading than I used to,” Mr. Clarke says.
“We get the agenda packets on Fridays for the following Monday night’s meeting.
“For the last meeting, we had 600 pages of reading to do. Some books I have read aren’t 600 pages, and I take weeks to finish them.”
That is the lighter side, but more seriously, Mr. Clarke tigerishly has plunged into learning everything he can about the community where he has resided for many years.
He has imbibed voluminous research eagerly absorbing himself in issues major and minor likely to come before the City Council.
Like a flash of lightning, he has completely erased any need to play catch-up to his more experienced colleagues.
“I want to find out fully about matters and get the whole background,” he says. “I read everything available.”
A Taxing Obligation
Next up will be the proposed half-cent sales tax increase, which goes before Culver City voters in a little more than two months. .
Mr. Clarke will be one of the Council ambassadors traveling about the community in September and October, encouraging residents to support the measure.
He said City Hall has done its part to keep expenses under control, but needs help.
“Before I got on the Council, the city took actions,” Mr. Clarke said. “They reduced the work force, changed the pension system and retiree benefits. So they have taken steps.
“I have said all along on the sales tax issue, we have to not only advocate why we need it, but we must be able to demonstrate to folks here in Culver City we are doing everything we can to cut expenditures without cutting services.”
Mr. Clarke said that “maintaining the high level of quality services the people of Culver City have come to expect” is one of the most muscular justifications for the increase. “This is just going to be a minimal cost. A $10 lunch will add a nickel to the bill.
“Probably 80 percent of it will be paid for by people outside of the city who come in here and do shopping.”
(To be continued)
