Re “On Dec. 12, Friends Say Malsin Will Quit, but Only for a Little While” and “Quitting After 5 Years, 7 Months, Malsin Still Could Log 14 Years on Council”
Does City Councilman Scott Malsin have A List friends and B List friends?
It appears that way.
Last month, Mr. Malsin quietly disclosed to A List confidantes that he was “retiring” from the Council at the Monday, Dec. 12 meeting to protect his healthcare benefits, which will disappear if he remains in office beyond Dec. 31. Simultaneously, he is planning to kind of re-run for office next spring while evidently having skirted a rule or two about leaving office and returning two years later.
Meanwhile, strictly B List friends this week received the email reproduced below where Mr. Malsin insists he and his family are facing a handwringing dilemma over whether to remain at City Hall or step outdoors for a few days to make everything legit.
A List friends reportedly are meeting tonight at 10:15 behind the School District quarters on Irving Place. They are expected to congratulate each other for obtaining insider knowledge.
Below is the latest correspondence to reach the homes of B List’ers:
From the desk of…
Vice Mayor Scott Malsin
Dear Friends,
Your support over the years has meant a lot to me. I'm proud to have earned your trust and grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to serve on our City Council. It's been exciting to be a part of Culver City's accomplishments over the past five and a half years, and it's been fulfilling working alongside you on so many efforts that have made our community better.
With this in mind, I'm writing to let you know about a difficult decision my family is facing.
The City of Culver City, like many employers, offers employee benefits like pensions and medical insurance. Council members are, of course, employees of the city; while we receive only a small stipend for our service, we are provided with medical insurance. Having that medical coverage for my family has made it possible for me, as a husband and father, to reduce my regular work hours so I could dedicate the time and energy it takes to serve our community to the best of my ability.
Earlier this year the City Council approved changes to the City's retiree medical benefit program. Having recused myself from the part of the discussions that directly impacted me, I wrote three articles that appeared in our local papers and are available at CulverCity2020.org expressing my concerns about their impact on City operations and the ethical considerations they raise. If they were implemented as adopted, many valuable employees would be driven to retire prior to the cutoff date of Dec. 31, 2011, in order to preserve their benefits. Many older, lower-wage workers can neither afford to retire nor to lose this benefit; they would lose a great deal of the retirement security which they have counted on.
I fought hard for what I believe in, and I am pleased that we are making significant changes to the City's policies that will help us retain many of our senior employees. However, I am deeply troubled that we are not honoring our commitment to all our older workers. I believe that we must always do our best to protect the most vulnerable among us. Nevertheless, the steps we are taking will make a difference in many lives.
Despite the improvements, the situation has not changed for my family. Like many other City employees, I would have to retire by Dec. 31 in order to retain our current coverage, coverage that I have counted on as I balanced my work life and my public service.
To my great disappointment, I will have to choose between continuing my service to the community as a City Councilmember and doing what's best for my family.
Many people who are aware of the difficult decision I must make are urging me to run for City Council again should I decide to retire. Under California's pension system rules, my family could retain our healthcare coverage if I ran for re-election, even as early as our April 2012 election. I am honored by the confidence and enthusiasm these individuals have expressed about my continued service. While this is not a decision I take lightly, I do feel a strong desire to see so many things through to completion.
My wife Anne and I are weighing the plusses and minuses of the entire situation. Regardless of the outcome, though, you can count on my continuing service to the community through the many charitable and volunteer efforts I have been a part of for the past 20 years.
As always, never hesitate to contact me if I can help you in any way.
Best Regards,
Scott
Scott Malsin, Vice Mayor
City of Culver City
9770 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA. 90232
Scott@scottmalsin.com
