Second in a series
Re “In First Interview, Silbiger Talks About What May Be Next”
[img]493|right|Karlo Silbiger||no_popup[/img]He loves strategizing political campaigns, said Karlo Silbiger, and that could be his future after being upset three weeks ago today in the School Board election.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Silbiger is going into his final School Board meeting this evening at 7 o’clock in City Hall after running fourth on Election Day. (Prof. Patricia Siever, who chose not to seek re-election, also will be participating in her farewell meeting. www.ccusd.org)
Since Mr. Silbiger, a stentorian voice on the Board for four years, appeared to have sufficient momentum to glide into a second term, the opening question, naturally, was:
What happened?
“The first thing to remember,” he said, “is that in local elections where there is a very small turnout, the difference between all of the candidates is very slim.
“That means that any change in perception, any change in voting trends, can influence an election greatly. In an election like this, you can take nothing for granted.”
Boiling his response to five slender words, Mr. Silbiger said, “Obviously, I have no idea” why he finished in the middle of the seven-candidate field when he packed the highest profile.
Since Election Day – but not before – the unfamiliar concept of so-called slate voting has been discussed by some analysts.
Mr. Silbiger did.
“If this is not the first time in Culver City,” he said, “at least it is in the time that I have been here, that there has been a slate election. We never had that before, where candidates actually have endorsed each other, worked together, had mail sent out on behalf of all of them.”
Especially in the closing days of the campaign, an embryonic rivalry sprang up between opposing forces – the Teachers Union’s three endorsed candidates, Mr. Silbiger, Claudia Vizcarra and Vernon L. Taylor (who finished 4-5-6) and the three United Parents of Culver City-endorsed candidates, Dr. Steve Levin, Kathy Paspalis and Sue Robins (who finished 1-2-3 to win the open seats).
Virtually all of the impetus came from the side of the Teachers Union.
“I am not sure slate elections are a great idea,” Mr. Silbiger said.
Is that why he lost?
(To be continued)
