Culver City voters chose a little of the familiar mixed with the new on election day and rejected candidates with higher profiles and more name recognition to represent them on the City Council.
Incumbent Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells romped to a first-place victory with 2, 760 votes, nearly 1,000 more than second place Thomas Small, an architect and design specialist who garnered 1, 769 votes in his first run for public office
Businessman Gorän Ericsson came in third place with 1,645.
Mayor Micheál O’Leary and Vice Mayor Andrew Weissman are termed out.
The votes are unofficial as of press time; there were still outstanding absentee ballots to count, but Sahli-Wells’ and Small’s leads appeared insurmountable.
Small’s victory came as a surprise to some voters in a race where other higher-profile candidates who emphasized their experience working on city commissions or had ties to long-standing civic organizations might have fared better in past years.
But Culver City voters have shown a preference in recent elections for at least giving some upstart candidates an opportunity. In last year’s school board election, Dr. Kelly Kent won handily over two candidates who identified heavily with an established political faction in the city and among the majority of the school board.
At Sahli-Well’s election night victory party in Carlson Park, the councilwoman thanked her enthusiastic supporters for their efforts and issued a clarion call for more like-minded candidates to seek positions of influence within city government or civic groups.
There’s a need for folks to step up to positions of leadership. We’re a great city but we can be greater,” she told her audience.
In an interview shortly after the election results were announced, Sahli-Wells, a community organizer prior to winning election in 2012, said she thought her door-to door campaigning and her prior record on the council convinced voters to give her another chance.
“I felt that the issues that I was campaigning on really resonated with the voters. This tells me that I’m going in the right direction,” she said.
“And coming in first place feels really good!” the councilwoman added with a laugh.
The mood was also festive at Small’s east Culver City residence. Like Sahli-Wells, Small thinks his decision to make retail campaigning a staple of his campaign paid dividends and better-known candidates.
“I’m not sure how I did in the [candidate] forums, but I think I was able to communicate and connect with voters when I went door-to-door and in smaller groups,” said Small, who made transportation and “smart” developments a centerpiece of his campaign. “I also think my educational and professional background and my message about development was well-received.”
Eriksson was more cautious about his position. Reached at his office on Overland Avenue, Eriksson said he was cautiously optimistic and “feeling really good” about the election outcome.
“But [the city clerk] is still counting some ballots so we’ll see,” he added.
Eriksson said he was proud of the way that he campaigned. “We stayed on message and were positive,” he said.
Sahli-Wells said she is looking forward to a new term in office with exciting challenges including creating more affordable housing, extending rental assistance to those remaining on the city’s list and increased sustainability. But there is one thing that she lamented about the election.
“As we go into our centennial, I’m depressed that Culver City still has not elected an African-American to the city council and there is still only one woman on the city council,” she said.
Culver City came closer than it ever has this year to electing its first black member to the council. Daniel Lee was in fourth place as the News went to print with 1, 422 votes, more than 200 behind Eriksson.
Small is the first Asian–American to be elected to Culver City’s governing body. “That is one of the things that I’m the most excited about tonight,” he said.
Planning Commissioner Scott Wyant ran fifth with 1,279, attorney Marcus Tiggs received 1,103 and former police detective Jay Garacochea 574.
The new council will be sworn in near the end of the month.
Gary Walker contributed to this story.