Now I know why I did not stand a chance of winning a seat in the Culver City School Board race this month.
How do you feel about the election numbers?
I was surprised I did so well 457 votes.
Before the elections, I probably knew about ten voters, personally. I was able to impress at least that many voters, who are not afraid to admit it. I am sure there were others; maybe they were too uninformed (dumb) to realize it.
Were you embarrassed by such a lopsided margin?
No.
There were only going to be three winners.
Does not matter how much you come up short, by 2,000 or by 2.
Do you think that being fourth felt better than being seventh or fifth for that matter?
I do feel bad for Mr. Alan Elmont, though. What would be one’s claim? I am not on the Board, but at least I did not come in last. It is really insignificant to me.
Thought that Linwood Howe had a decent number of voters until I started asking the parents and teachers if they lived in Culver City. Many of them replied no, but they wished that they could vote for me.
With the only exposure coming from four forums (bombed in three of them), I finished stronger in the last one at the Raintree Complex.
Basically ran my campaign in thefrontpageonline.com. I was non-existent in the two other local printed papers, except when it came time to over-emphasize my last-place finish.
Even Mr.Roger Maxwell, who withdrew in the first week of the official campaign, received 567 votes. Mr. Elmont could have used a couple hundred of those wasted votes. You would have to have been out of the city for three month not to have known that Mr. Maxwell had withdrawn.
Those Two Families
I still do not want to blame it on this “Culver City School District public school educational system.” that I keep hearing about.
California is 51st (last place) in the United States.
America is in last position in the Westernized countries in education.
Just in case you did not notice, every California school district made the same claim to “retain the quality education” in their Parcel Tax literature.
We used to have a saying back in the day”
“You are in denial, and we don’t mean a river in Africa, either.”
Many Culver City citizens (like most small cities whose citizens rarely get exposed to the outside world), play follow the leader. I was informed by reliable sources early in the campaign that there are two families (no, not like the Mafia, not in the same league) that wrestle each other for control of Culver City politics.
Mr. “Z,” Robert Zirgulis, and I call them “the Machine.” Many people still do not believe that it exists.
I am not going to waste time attempting to convince them otherwise. Small town with small time politics, small visions and little results.
The School Board campaign turned testy near the end.
How will you work with the School Board?
It is pretty much assured that most of them would rather have me working with than against them.
The beginning was problematic because of a breakdown in communications.
By then, the tone had been set. I was the angry (annoying) outsider. The Machine did effectively neutralize me, through the printed local media. Did a thefrontpageonline.com article on that.
Early on, it tried to get ugly and I kind of drew a line in the sand.
Enough said about that.
Did an article on that also.
What would have been your first order of business?
The budget is the most common focus discussed by the all candidates. I would gather information to renovate the School District’s and the city’s property. There are federal programs that are geared to stimulate the economy through construction projects. State and local municipalities qualify. The feds pick up 35 percent of the interest cost.
Did articles in thefrontpageonline.com on the District’s property at Natatorium and Robert Frost Auditorium.
I hope that the new Board doesn’t get consumed by the daunting budget situation and neglect the other lingering but just as pressing problems.
I have been in talks with a local bank to establish a program that teaches students in high school how to use a checking account.
Getting the details to present to the Board for approval.
I was paying attention Ms. Kathy Paspalis. See, I am trying to be a good citizen.
Mr. Abrams, a candidate in the recent School Board race, and a daily classroom volunteer at Lin Howe School, may be contacted at gabrams@ca.rr.com
