From the warm, sunny morning last September that he announced his City Council candidacy down to the raucous scene last night in the lobby of the ornate Culver Hotel when he clinched a seat, Andy Weissman was pitched as the choice of the people, the birds, and anything else in Culver City that moved.
The claim went unchallenged.
None of his eight rivals had received the on the job training at City Hall, in commissions, committees and every government body south of the City Council, that Mr. Weissman has served on since the ‘90s.
His two fellow freshman, Chris Armenta and Mehaul O’Leary, pretty clearly come from the left and the center?
Mr. Weissman’s preferred territory?
Tough question.
The much admired politician — a politician much admired? — is so precisely disciplined, so measured, so controlled that even the closest City Hall watchers can’t settle him into a nifty political niche.
When the heat is on, Mr. Weissman’s leadership emotions are best showcased. They span all the way from “A” to “A and one-eighth.”
After a lifetime in the relative minor leagues, Culver City voters are positive he is ready for prime time.
He remains, however, his savvy but measured self.
“My learning curve may be somewhat less than Chris’s or Mehaul’s,” he said, “but we all have a lot to learn.”
Having scaled the tallest political mountain peak, Mr. Weissman will be a long time forgetting the sweet sweep to victory scene in the lobby. Relatives, his most intimate friends and his newest friends all mobbed him, shoving close enough to quickly embrace and whisper encouragement.
Phil Tangalaikas: “Andy is a great man who, I am confident, will serve the city well. He brings people together. He is not divisive. He is strong-willed, but he is conciliatory and he has great ideas. I think he is going to be real effective.”
Jim Lamm called the results “very positive. I am looking forward some big change in the City Council. I am not surprised by any of the results, and I am pleased that the two candidates my wife and I endorsed, Andy Weissman and Chris Armenta, were elected. I also think Mehaul has a lot of good things to offer. I am looking forward to see how he develops as a City Councilperson.
Tom Camarella: “The first two finishers were the two people I endorsed . I am pretty happy about that. I am hoping the new City Council will play better together. I am hoping they will get more diverse items on the agenda.”
Allan Goldman: “Culver City is the big winner in this election. We have a good diverse group. Andy is going to glue the whole Council together. You have Mehaul coming from the center, and Armenta is kind of like Silbiger a little.”
Jozelle Smith: “The people of Culver City responded to what many of us have known for years, that Andy is a very well-qualified candidate, with the support of the community and his family behind him.”
Patiently, Mr. Weissman stood in the center of the noisy, animated crowd and answered questions.
Question: When did you first sense it was safe to feel relief, that you had won election?
“When they got down to the only ballot box missing, a little bit ago, Precinct 25. I felt pretty comfortable because unless nobody in that precinct voted for me, I would be okay.
Question: Coming into the campaign, were you confident?
“I have been confident from the very beginning. I thought we were well positioned from the outset. We ran a terrific campaign.
“I had a great campaign group. We did everything we wanted to do. We got all the endorsements we wanted, all of the support we thought we were going to get from the community.
“We did a good job of fundraising, which allowed us to get our message out.”
Question: Characterize your strategy?
“The best thing I did was assembling the team I had. Vicki Daly Redholtz was my campaign coordinator, Geoff Maleman was my public relations consultant, Dan Gallagher was my Treasurer.
“Behind them were a whole host of people who lent support, walking, working on fundraising, stamping and sealing envelopes, doing all of those kinds of things.
“But, fundamentally, it was Vicki, Geoff and Dan who provided the strategy.”
Question: As a new City Councilman, what are your priorities?
“My foremost priority goes back to what I have said all along, from the very beginning, what I wanted to do.
“Bring a different attitude, a new sensibility, to public discourse. It is sorely needed. We can accomplish a lot more when we are respectful amongst ourselves and respectful to those who come before us in Council Chambers.
“I want to make sure we can get back to the point where we can disagree without being disagreeable.”
Question: How do you feel about your two new classmates?
“I am looking forward to working with the entire City Council.
“We ought to recognize that you have a majority of the Council who, in complete terms, is relatively inexperienced. It is going to be a learning curve and probably a significantly feeling-out period, getting to know what each of us thinks about issues, how each of us articulates our philosophies.
“It always is a challenge when you are working with new people.
I am pleased with my background in commissions and committees, the diverse nature of what I have been doing the last 20 or so years, to be comfortable in an environment with new people.
“I think that will stand me in good stead in trying to address issues, building consensus, and working in a positive direction for the city.”