Culver City voters returned their two incumbent city leaders to office on Tuesday night in another low turnout municipal election for two seats on the city council in the “Heart of Screenland.”
Mayor Jeffery Cooper, two election cycles after losing the first time he in ran in 2008, outpolled his three opponents to emerge with the most votes, with 2,167. Councilman Jim Clarke, who will begin his first four-term on the council, tallied 2,073 votes in his victory. Clarke, first elected in 2012, was serving a two-year term that began with former Councilman Scott Malsin.
Mortgage broker and first-time candidate Christopher Patrick King made an impressive showing, winning 1,181 votes and Gary Abrams, who ran and lost in two prior races for a seat on the Culver City Unified District Board of Education, had 288.
All vote totals are unofficial as the News went to press.
Cooper said winning the most votes was very meaningful after campaigning for the better part of a year.
“It’s a good feeling that the voters believed in me enough to give me their support,” he said. “I think they were pleased with the job that I did for the past four years. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to serve the city for four more years.”
Development, moving forward with the city’s bicycle master plan and policy around the Inglewood Oilfield are some of the press matters that Cooper said the council will confront during the next several years.
The mayor said having the continuity on the council now that the election is over is something that cannot be overlooked.
“It can’t be understated at all,” Cooper said. “The continuity that we have is going to be even more important as we tackle these issues. We really listen to each other and that’s what I love about my colleagues.”
Known as “Mr. Everywhere” to some of his council colleagues due to that he seems to ubiquitous regarding community events, Clarke, who spent several decades working in municipal, state and national politics, was hopeful at a boisterous post-election party at City Tavern, where he greeted several well-wishers.
“It’s till early,” he said after the absentee votes were counting and he was in second place.
King, reached at his office on Wednesday, congratulated Clarke and Cooper on their victories. He also did not rule out another run for public office. “I would absolutely consider it again,” King said.
Cooper reiterated what he said in a previous interview regarding how his thinking has evolved since he was elected to the city’s governing body. “What I’ve learned is being a part of the council is not just about being Culver City centric. So many things that affect Culver City come from our neighbors and how they act,” he noted. “We deal with issues from Santa Monica or Beverly Hills or West Hollywood as a team of cities.”
Culver City Chamber of Commerce President Steven Rose said he thought that King was on the wrong side of matters that could become critical in Culver City such as rent control. He also thought both Clarke and Cooper took a nuanced stance on affordable housing.
Culver City’s record on affordable housing has not been exactly stellar. Last year, city leaders opened the first low to moderate income housing units in 15 years and King has been critical of the council for the death of affordable housing.
“The chamber has been concerned about the candidates positions on affordable housing, especially since the state took away funds for affordable housing after the redevelopment agencies were eliminated,” said Rose, who was on the council from 2000 to 2008 and supported Cooper and Clarke. “We support affordable housing, but we feel that the state should pay for it. It should not come out of the general fund.”
King said he was intrigued and impressed with Culver City residents as well as what campaigning for public office entails. “Meeting so many engaged business owners and residents [on the campaign trail] was great part of the process,” he said.
Winning the most votes is a turnaround for Copper, who won in 2010 by a razor thin margin of 31 votes to a then largely unknown candidate- now the current vice mayor of Culver City, Meghan Sahli-Wells.
“I wasn’t able to enjoy [that victory] as much because the race was so close,” the mayor recalled. “It was a very muted celebration because it took several days to decide the winner.”
Cooper said winning the second time around was probably sweeter because he was able to share his victory with his wife Rafia. “A lot of the celebrations that I’m involved in I like being around my wife, and unfortunately [in 2010] she had to go out of town on a business trip the next day.
“So when the election was decided that Friday afternoon, I didn’t have anyone to hug or kiss,” Cooper said with a laugh. “And tonight I have that.”
Clarke could not be reached for comment at News press time.
