A new era will soon unfold at City Hall. The Culver City City Council will get a makeover. Councilman and former mayor Christopher Armenta has decided not to seek re-election. Meanwhile, a pair of former mayors, Scott Malsin and Andrew Weissman, will retain membership in the governing body.
This council has been a busy one and the five men who sit on it have been productive during their tenure. There are many issues still unresolved and the next council will spend a lot of time overseeing projects that the current officeholders have put into motion.
Whatever one may think of the five men who comprise the committee or the accomplishments they’ve had or poor decisions they’ve made, it would seem hard to argue that they have conducted themselves with professionalism and civility – qualities that are not necessarily required in the job description, but which make the political world a better place.
It takes great patience and an uncommon amount of poise to sit quietly for three minutes to be berated and insulted by one community member after another. Speakers at council meetings are given 180 seconds, and usually then some, to say their piece. It’s possibly the longest three minutes of my week – and I’m just a passive listener. Still, as I hear accusations of ethical breaches hurled willy-nilly and low-blow insults casually tossed in, I often feel a desire to intervene. I find myself tempted to interject. I believe in free speech and I believe it has certain responsibilities that accompany it. And it has consequences.
I’m pretty sure that I lack the temperament to undertake the verbal abuse that is part and parcel of a city council member’s job. But I am pleased to know that the members of this council have the constitution to endure the regularly scheduled tirades. Let’s hope that the next members of the council possess the same thick skin.