I, for one, appreciated the fact that the evening's events were called to a halt at the forum for School Board candidates last Thursday night.

It was exceptionally well-run, and I really liked the fast pace, with many questions and responses limited to one minute.

However, while this format was great for providing a tremendous amount of information over a short period of time, it also demanded that the audience pay close attention to what was going on.

By about 8:45, I started to feel tired and began to look at my watch, thinking that it was about time to go home.

(Contrary to what I have heard others say, the brochure that was emailed out by the Culver City Homeowners Assn. advertising the event said that it would end at 9 p.m., not some later time.)

It is certainly the case that Steve Gourley could have phrased his comments more tactfully.

But it is not necessarily the case that tact will be an asset on the School Board.

I truly believe that being a member of a California school board is one of the toughest jobs in the country.

While everyone agrees that our educational system has many problems, there is a tremendous amount of inertia that leads to many promising ideas being abandoned.

Steve is the sort of person who will not only have good ideas to help our schools, but who will be assertive enough to make sure they are implemented.