Mayor Unruffled in the Midst of a Kerfuffel
| Written by Ari L. Noonan | |
| Tuesday, August 29, 2006 |
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| Responding to last Saturday morning’s dust-up at the opening ceremonies for Fiesta La Ballona (see story below), Mayor Gary Silbiger today reached for his favorite weapon, placidity. Accustomed to being the quiet voice at the center of a storm — which he unintentionally generated this time — the Mayor said it was “perfectly normal” to invite the President of the School Board to address the crowd at the start of a community event. But Mr. Silbiger’s City Council colleague, Steve Rose, emphatically disagreed. To prove it, in a huff, he walked off a stage full of dignitaries when the Mayor, acting as the emcee, asked the School Board President Saundra Davis to deliver a brief opening greeting. The Mayor said she spoke for 30 seconds. Mr. Rose vacated the premises as soon as she was introduced, he explained, to protest Ms. Davis’s unscheduled speaking role, assertedly a departure from the program. That was improper, Mr. Rose said, because Fiesta is a city event as opposed to a School Board event. “When I am asked to emcee an event and given a script,” Mr. Rose said, “I follow it as a courtesy to my host.” The Mayor, he charged, was wrong to “politicize” the Opening Ceremonies.
How Much Baloney for You, Sir? Mr. Rose’s reason for walking out is about two dollars worth of baloney, Mr. Silbiger said in effect. “The City Council and the School Board are not rivals,” he added. “We all live in the same community. Besides, on such an important occasion, if an elected official is present, this is the courteous thing to do. If our County Supervisor had been there, don’t you think I would have asked her to say a few words? It would be insulting not to ask the person to speak.” While Ms. Davis and Mr. Rose were mightily upset during the kerfuffel that followed, Mr. Silbiger remained his regular unruffled self. He generally repeated what he has stated more passionately at other times, that a bridge rather than a wall needs to be constructed between the City Council and the School Board, long considered arch political rivals. “The question really is,” said Mr. Silbiger, “are we going to support education and the School District in our community? If the answer is yes, we should have good relations with the education community and develop a relationship with the School Board. There was nothing wrong with asking the President of the School Board to speak, especially since there were many youths in the crowd. To say Saundra Davis spoke for political reasons has no basis in fact. She is my friend. But I am friends with all the members of the School Board,” said Mr. Silbiger, by far the strongest advocate on the City Council for all matters educational and for more amplified youth activities. You Scratch My Back Postscript After further reflection, said Mr. Silbiger, he is puzzled by the political dust that was stirred and the rhetorical heat that was spent on a blurred moment. “People in the community probably are wondering, ‘why a furor over this?’” he said. |
