Re “I Am Stupid, and You Cannot Change My Mind”
[img]1305|right|Andy Weissman||no_popup[/img]City Councilman Andy Weissman said this morning that “I personally did not like” the controversial hit mailer that state Assembly candidate Christopher Armenta selectively sent out early this month but he is backing Mr. Armenta anyway in Tuesday’s election.
Mr. Armenta is an underdog to first-time candidate Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, whom he has vilified, for the seat formerly held by Holly D. Mitchell (D-Culver City), who graduated to the state Senate two months ago.
“He approached me a number of months ago, asked for my support and I gave it to him,” Mr. Weissman said.
“I worked with Christopher on the City Council, and I saw no reason not to support him. I got along well with him. I found him to be reasonable on his approach to policy issues.”
Nothing Changed
[img]1294|right|Christopher Armenta||no_popup[/img]Mr. Weissman said he backs his former colleague as stoutly as he did before Mr. Armenta uncorked a strongly disputed hit mailer that cites nepotism, an allegedly unfair helping hand from his influential father, as the express reasons for Mr. Ridley-Thomas’s lofty presence in the Assembly race.
“No, Christopher’s mailer did not give me pause,” Mr. Weissman said. “I personally did not like it.
“It’s a different arena when you are running for that type of office. Presumably, Christopher took the advice of his advisors.”
The Councilman said he disagreed, but would not go farther.
“I may not have done the same thing,” Mr. Weissman said. “But it is not for me to second-guess him.”
What did the Councilman mean by calling saying the Arnmenta campaign was being waged in a “different arena”?
“You are speaking to a much larger constituency than when you are running for the City Council or School Board in a 40,000-person community like Culver City,” Mr. Weissman said.
And that expanded playground alters a candidate’s tactics?
“I don’t know,” the Councilman said. “I never have run for office for a state seat. My observation is it is a much more aggressive environment when you are running for a state office than has heretofore been the case in Culver City.
“I have not had any experience outside of Culver City, which is much smaller in scope.”
If Mr. Armenta had sought Mr. Weissman’s counsel beforehand on the mailer that met its inflammatory objective, what would he have advised?
“I don’t know what I would have told him,” Mr. Weissman said. “He is his own person. He has his own campaign. He develops his own strategy.
“It is not for me to second-guess what he does. Christopher was a capable Councilperson, somebody I was able to work with quite well on issues that were somewhat contentious but meaningful to the community.
“I have no problem supporting him in his run for higher office.
“Would I have done things differently if I were in his position? I don’t know,” Mr. Weissman said. “I am not in his position.”
