Eleven days before three City Council seats are decided by voters, the likely winners are…
Most Aggressive Campaigns – Thomas Small, Goran Eriksson, Scott Wyant and Daniel Lee.
Hardest-to-Figure Campaigns – Incumbent Meghan Sahli-Wells and Marcus Tiggs.
Longshot Campaign – Jay Garocochea.
- Mr. Small – A relative stranger facing lopsidedly long odds last winter, he has acquitted himself brilliantly in several ways.
Criticized by some traditionalists for not being intimately familiar with the political machinery and history of Culver City, that has not held up as a valid charge.
Stirringly articulate, globally knowledgeable, widely traveled, a star in a unique corner of the international world of architecture, he and his family are 10-year residents, hardly strangers.
Philosophically progressive, his views are moderately inclined.
- Mr. Eriksson – Another global business traveler, he buffaloed the always-talkative far left corner of our community. They regarded him as an enemy to be fought until they heard him declaim on the environment. Turns out he knows – and does – more about environmental matters than the whole gang of leftist critics.
So the sharpest minds in the left ‘hood derided him with scurrilous, typically secretive, anonymous accusations as one of Culver City’s nastiest sinners. Why? Because he has built two quite successful businesses, reasons to be flogged by the semi-employed, welfare-chasing left.
- Mr. Wyant – Conversationally engaging, vibrantly informed about the hows and whys inside City Hall, always looks punch line-ready, he brings a muscular, diverse resume that should be hard to deny on April 12.
An early tekkie, like Mr. Small, he does not necessarily conform, professionally, to the conventional description of a City Council candidate. His career impressively has taken several major, successful paths. What’s to disagree with?
- Mr. Lee – He was a longshot until his first campaign stop. At 36 the youngest candidate, he entered the race with a background that will stump the Label Crowd. He has traveled the country as an influential, deeply committed social justice advocate, one may wonder how that squares with the traditional side of his career record – years of military service, an actor-producer, and most recently a social worker.
Soft-spoken and seemingly unassuming, he has managed to connote cerebral strength blended and seasoned just right with an I-can-do-today attitude.
- Ms. Sahli-Wells – If an incumbent is assigned different campaign guidelines, perhaps she is headed for a bullseye on Election Day. Instead, there has been a noticeable element of passivity, surprising because as a politician no one can out-capable her.
In the first half of the race, she recited/repeated what she had achieved as a Councilperson. But the record may have been cloudier than she had indicated. Emphasizing her role in bringing Culver City inside the tent of President Obama’s “Brother’s Keeper” doesn’t strike me as a headline accomplishment, but one that belongs in the “Oh, yeah,” category.
Lately she has been more on-point about Culver City politics rather than philosophical convictions.
- Mr. Tiggs – Specializing in sophisticated, comprehensive financial analysis and solutions, he is in Hard-to-Figure because his presentation manner is so understated. That is the only reason.
Will voters realize how broadly and deeply his financial insights and moxie are? Hopefully.
Enviably articulate as all but a couple rivals, he and Mr. Eriksson may emerge as twin financial powerhouses on the new City Council.
- Mr. Garocochea – Not much has changed since the start of campaigning. He is a very nice man.
