Fresh Example
It happened as recently as last Monday night.
The Council was thrashing around, swaying like a reed-thin palm tree in a hurricane.
They could not seem to gain traction in a tendentious debate over a sensitive ruling on the Culver City Democratic Club.
Mr. Corlin led them out of the tunnel with his flashlight when he suggested tabling the thorny problem until a more logical night, three weeks later.
Anyone More Equal?
Except for running the weekly meetings, the mayor has no more power than anyone else on the City Council, said Mr. Corlin, who has been Vice Mayor for the past during, during the mayoralty term of Gary Silbiger.
In Culver City, the mayor can do anything he wants as long as he convinces two others to go along with him.
A Matter of Luck
Of course, there are visions of muscle-flexing dancing in the cerebral mind of Mr. Corlin in anticipation of being formally voted into office at the outset of Mondays brief meeting.
If I am lucky, I will be sitting in the center seat, he said.
The second of two brothers, he relishes being in charge.
His sly, rich sense or humor and his slavish devotion to ironic puns will be dusted off, polished to a high gloss and aired out on most of the next 52 Mondays.
The Art of
Like his colleagues, he swears fealty to the notion of compromise. But he also ardently practices the delicate art.
All of us have our individual agendas, Mr. Corlin said. But none of us would have been able to achieve anything without making compromises and getting two other people to go along.
Through seven years, he said, I see a tremendous number of successes and an unbelievable amount of give-and-take by the Council. He said the check list that he developed for each of his two four-year terms has been mostly fulfilled.
Any Day but Friday
But not entirely.
One failure that Mr. Corlin cannot forget is the six-month experiment to keep City Hall open five days every week.
I believe City Hall should be open every Friday instead of every other Friday, he said. Mr. Corlin said some of his objectives were fluffy, and some were serious. But the only way we got any of them accomplished was by co-operation among us. That should be emphasized.
Whats New?
At the top of his Proud to be Done list, said the prospective Mayor, are a new City Charter, which he campaigned for vigorously last year, and that led to the new office of City Manager.
Although Culver Citys mayor, by dint of his office, often is singled out to lead or play a prominent role in certain activities, I never lose sight of the point that I represent four other people, Mr. Corlin said.
About Those Legacies
Like many of their predecessors, the Closing Year members of the Council Carol Gross and Steve Rose along with Mr. Corlin are, naturally, legacy conscious.
To similar degrees, all of them are likely to be thinking of doing certain tasks for the final time during the next 52 Monday nights.
According to Culver Citys time-limits guidelines, all three must sit down for two years before they can run for office again.
Casual? Not for Them
None of the three even comes close to taking a casual approach to Council responsibilities.
They live their offices seven days of the week.
Two of the three hold down fulltime professional positions, but friends say that all three are consumingly invested in their duties.
The time remaining is short, Mr. Corlin said. A lot needs to be finished up this year and a lot needs to be started, he said.
Sentimental Journey
Is the prospective Mayor Corlin there, it was said a sentimental fellow?
I am sure that the three of us will be feeling a sense of urgency, he said this morning. Just as I am sure we will be pining for more time.
