Congratulations to Mehaul O’Leary and Andrew Weissman on their reelection to the City Council. They will be joined by our Culver City Democratic Club endorsed candidates Meghan Sahli-Wells and Jim Clarke. Jeff Cooper continues his term as a member of the City Council.
I would like to thank everyone involved in making the Culver City elections as successful as they were. The time and effort people gave for our community is priceless and our community is a better place for it. Our Democratic Club is proud of the candidates that we endorsed. Now we look forward to our candidates representing the community.
Looking back on election day, April 10th, with six candidates aiming for the four seats on the City Council, the voters chose community activist Meghan Sahli-Wells and Los Angeles mayoral aide Jim Clarke as the newest members of the council. I’m proud of our community for making Meghan Sahli-Wells one of few women to be elected to the Council since 1917. The voters showed that they want diversity on the council. I know Meghan is passionate and is ready to represent the community. Many considered Jim Clarke a relative unknown as he campaigned. The Democratic Club and the voters saw something special in Jim. He was voted in on his first attempt at running for political office.
The final tally of the election:
Andy Weissman – 3,083
Meghan Sahli-Wells – 2,909
Mehaul O’Leary – 2,825
Jim Clarke – 2,753
Scott Malsin – 2,370
Stephen Murray – 965
Final count 4,889 votes – 19.6% turnout.
As the mood of the Nation and our City continues to be uncertain due to the struggling economy, our incoming City Council members will face the city’s budget crisis. Just as they needed our votes they now will need our support and participation as a unified community. A real significant financial issue facing the City is the closure of the Redevelopment Agency. As a collective community we are a force that can cause change.
In other election news, Culver City voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to increase hotel taxes. Measure X will increase the city’s transient occupancy tax from the existing 12 percent to 14 percent. The increase will generate an additional $510,000 a year, according to the city.
We have another important election coming up. Please see the Club’s endorsement for Tuesday June 5th Primary Election.
Don’t Forget to Vote on Election Day!