Lamps burned deep into the night at the spacious Carson Street home of Thomas Small and his wife Joanne Brody on Election Night. They were not necessary, though.
The glow from Mr. Small’s permanent smile illumined the neighborhood and telegraphed his joy – but not surprise – after being elected to the City Council three days ago.
From a standing start in early winter – modest name recognition – Mr. Small rode two ponies into the Victory Circle:
- An irresistibly charismatic personality paired with
- The most unusual, unique and attractive C.V. in the seven-candidate field.
On the eve of the Centennial, Culver City history books are not throbbing with adventurous tales of scores of elected officials who made their living as architectural journalists-consultants-design specialists-fine arts aficionados who carved their professional reputations by working in cities across the globe.
The glamour of his personal/professional life, authenticated by his outgoing, congenial personality, proved a dynamite 1-2 punch that attracted more votes than five of his six rivals. Most were better known than he at the outset of the campaign.
Add to those 1-2 punches Nos. 3 and 4 – he is articulate and noticeably cerebral – and you have a clear explanation for Mr. Small’s success.
Shall we go for Punch No. 5?
Because Mr. Small was new to Culver City politics, and because his qualifications were so distant and different from his rivals’ packages, he needed to be accessible. He was.
Bringing an aura of exoticness to a political scramble only is an asset if you can explain yourself to crowds and convince them you are them even though your experiences have been vastly different.
On Victory Evening, Ms. Brody several times alluded to Mr. Small’s established reputation for collaboration. He gets along with others without sacrificing his convictions or those of opponents.
Mr. Small was presented to voters as one-third of a slate that was led by Council incumbent Meghan Sahli-Wells and another newcomer, Daniel Lee.
No campaign audience ever left the building doubting that Ms. Sahli-Wells and Mr. Lee were strong committed standard bearers for the progressive movement, unyieldingly left of center.
With Mr. Small, the portrait was far more nuanced. He consistently conveyed the image that no matter how wide the disagreement with an opponent, a compromise can be reached.
When all of those elements were stitched together in a single, and new, personality, a large bloc of voters confidently was persuaded.
