The 4 Democratic candidates for the School Board submitted to the political version of an expectant mother’s ultra-sound test last night, a peek into the shape of the future.
After listening to the broadly different hopefuls plead their cases for support, voting members of the Culver City Democratic Club offered an early preview of the Nov. 3 election by their endorsement pattern.
Two up, two down — and no decisions were close.
The club soundly endorsed nearly everybody’s top two choices — Karlo Silbiger and Kathy Paspalis, emphatically in that order — and just as sharply rejected two other choices for the third open seat on the Board, Gary Abrams and Robert Zirgulis.
Without factoring in the Republican contenders, many political observers believe this order is how the race eventually will play out — with the occupant f the third seat on the School Board remaining a monster-sized mystery.
It took a second round of balloting — after some Dem Club members had departed — to determine a second endorsement.
This was the biggest event of the campaign season, so far, and while there may have been disappointments, there really were no surprises.
Mr. Silbiger is billed as, and is performing as, the star of a 6-candidate field that also includes Republicans Alan Elmont and Patricia Siever, who were interested onlookers in the audience.
No Drama
A high school teacher and the youngest entry in the race by many years, a seasoned pro already by his mid-20s, Mr. Silbiger ran away with the prized No. 1 endorsement.
He captured 53 of the 56 ballots cast. Hewing to a 60 percent rule, candidates needed a minimum of 34 votes.
In the first of two rounds, Ms. Paspalis, an attorney and parent activist at El Marino Language School, fell just short with 32 votes.
Mr. Abrams, a registered nurse and fulltime teacher’s classroom aide, placed a respectable third with 17. Mr. Zirgulis, a substitute teacher, earned 7.
Needing the slightest nudge over the finish line to make her endorsement official, Ms. Paspalis, having the field to herself in the second round of voting, attracted 40.
Mr. Abrams had 13 and Mr. Zirgulis 1.
Mr. Silbiger’s father, Gary, in the final year of his second term on the City Council, delivered a rousing nomination speech in favor of the parcel tax, Measure EE — in a community where nary a word of objection has been raised since the tax was formalized a month ago.
No Two Alike in the Field
By a spirited unanimous vote, the Democratic Club, practically in afterthought mode, endorsed the measure.
Without a doubt, the School Board quartet was the main attraction, drawing an unusually large crowd to the Dem Club’s monthly meeting in the Rotunda Room of the Vets Auditorium.
Republicans visit the Rotunda Room with the same frequency as Halley’s Comet, and that alone would have made this an evening worthy of study.
Objectively, there appears to be a communal consensus 2 months before Election Day that the 6 challengers for 3 vacant seats offer the most diversity this town has seen in any election since Harry Culver learned that even 90 years ago an unwed gentleman could become a socially acceptable Founding Father.
It will be almost impossible for even a remotely informed voter to be confused on Election Day.
The only alteration in last night’s previously announced lineup brought in Mr. Abrams, who had listed his political preference as declines-to-state before reactivating his Democratic Party membership.
In olden times, Mr. Silbiger the younger probably would have been cast in a Favorite Son kind of role since he is an officer of the Democratic Club, an insider on the verge of becoming the hottest ticket in town. But Favorite Son would have been an artificial boost he did not require.
Assessing each of the 4 Democrats:
Karlo Silbiger — Keenly intelligent, smooth and polished as a veteran twice his age, he is so well informed on every conceivable issue — with substantive answers — that he could be questioned in a language he never had heard and reply impressively. A progressive thinker with an unmistakable grasp on tradition, his mental nimbleness blended with strong oratorical skills give him a solid edge over every rival, singly or collectively.
Kathy Paspalis — Her years as a parent activist — listening, thinking, participating not passively observing — now are being rewarded as a first-time candidate. Her activist background should be instructive for candidates who try to fake it by playing belated catch-up on issues. She does not yet seem fully comfortable as a candidate, finding that getting her sea legs is a process.
Gary Abrams — Because of his unique, non-traditional style for a candidate — typically unscripted, speaking exclusively from the heart, as he says, rather than what he regards as a restrictive, boxed-in form — is the quintessential wild card. How will his purely unorthodox form play with voters? Entirely unknowable in September. David Mielke, President of the Teachers Union, which endorsed him, was motivated to address the meeting last night, saying, “Clearly he is unsophisticated, and everybody else in the field is more sophisticated. But his heart is in the right place, and that is why we are backing him.”
Robert Zirgulis — Karlo Silbiger and his perceived advantages notwithstanding, he has easily drawn the most attention, perhaps more than his rivals, cumulatively — mainly for his stance on alleged revenues from Baldwin Hills oil drilling. This position has invited an uncommon fount of criticism, and he sought to cool the embers in his introductory presentation speech last night. Will his evident familiarity with issues be enough to offset criticism and win over voters?
