Meghan Sahli-Wells, the young mother who lost election to the City Council last April by a fingerful of dust, has fashioned not only a splendid but a tasteful pivot in the last eight months. “Meghan Marketing Meghan” should be the next course she teaches to prospective candidates who sustain a fleeting derailment. Seamlessly, she has segued from a painful defeat to being The Most Talked About Person in Culver City because she is ubiquitous. Were I Christian, I would expect to see her in the pulpit some Sunday soon since she is everywhere else around Our Town during the week, expending reflective populist opinions. She must have written the textbook on how a ballyhooed candidate recovers overnight to start the engine on a new campaign without a scar showing.
In both of Our Town’s political venues, City Hall and School District headquarters, the only personality they are talking about, yesterday and today, is the well-informed, articulate lady with the rhythmic name and comely personality, Meghan Sahli-Wells.
At first, the talk was about her running in ’12 when three of the five Councilmen will be up for re-election, Mayor Chris Armenta, Andy Weisman and Vice Mayor Mehaul O’Leary. Popular as she may be, early odds make her no more than 50-50 because she and Mayor Armenta would be drawing from the same constituency, financially and otherwise. Those chilly odds should dampen or delay a return of Council fever.
Smart people who ponder these political puzzles while you and I sleep offer a solution that could be tempting, a different elective office, almost as glamourous and hopefully appealing: Run for the School Board in next November’s election.
Although he has not made a formal announcement, Steve Gourley, who stepped down last night as President of the School Board, is not expected to run for a second four-year term. Competing for an open seat, any veteran candidate will tell you, beats running against a face, unless the face is horribly unpopular. Ms. Sahli-Wells would be favored. She could try out her officeholding training wheels the next two years, until the ’14 City Council election when Scott Malsin will be term-limited, and another empty chair will be dangled in front of The Best Known, Best Liked Unelected Candidate in Culver City.
