Not that they had a bevy of choices, but when City Council members elected Mehaul O’Leary and Andy Weissman as their new leaders last evening, they voted for change.
The coming year has no chance of being confused with the past year because the personalities and their philosophies travel separate roads.
As mayor since last April, Meghan Sahli-Wells not only was the youngest and most vigorous Her Honor in years, the longtime progressive activist brought new tones to the office that often has been treated with the casualness of changing neckties.
While she is a spirited, clear-minded ideologue, that statement demands elaboration. Ideologue often signals hardliner. Not so with the congenial Ms. Sahli-Wells, a congenital collaborationist.
She is one of the few to ascend to the Culver City mayor’s desk with a clearly outlined political philosophy, an agenda to achieve, and a detailed map on how to scale the mountain.
From one perspective it was strongly successful since she brought showcase visibility to her array of progressive beliefs, particularly in the realms of the environment and social justice.
She nudged the bar of measurement higher than it has been in awhile.
Rancor not only was no stranger to past City Councils, it was a fulltime resident for several Council editions.
None of that showed during the year Ms. Sahli-Wells ruled, whether the subject was affordable housing, clean air or contrary convictions scarcely shared by anyone on her right or left.
Mayor O’Leary has pledged that he and Mr. Weissman (“my wingman”) will work as a team, unlike their predecessors.
Beyond being centrists, the philosophies of both gentlemen is not particularly chalk-marked. Neither is even in the same town as an ideologue. Both prefer a light line to a hard line.
It should be an intriguing trip toward a new world.
