At the end of April, the office of Mayor of Culver City rotates to another member of the City Council, traditionally the Vice Mayor. Tradition turned on April 27, 2009 when the mayoralty went instead to the chair of the Redevelopment Agency, Andy Weissman.

In the course of a meeting that had 14 speakers come forward to add in their point of view, and arguments made by all council members, a unique turn of events saw Gary Silbiger lose his chance at a second term as mayor.

While it is not a written rule, it has long been de facto that the Vice Mayor steps forward to be the Mayor at the end of the year. By a vote of 3 to 2, (Weissman, Malsin and O’Leary in favor, Armenta and Silbiger against) abandoned the expectation and set a new standard. The position taken by Councilmember O’Leary was one that took many by surprise, as he has often worked in alliance with Silbiger and Armenta.

While there has been historical precedent of alternatives to the tradition, they have been rare. In the 1960s, Dan Patacchia served 8 years, one as vice-mayor and the next six as mayor. Therefore Bill Botts, (for whom the fields are named in Culver City Park,) never served as Mayor, nor did Ed Little.

Mike Balkman, for whom the council chambers is named, only served as mayor once, in two terms, and the same applies to Steve Rose, who also served as mayor once in his two terms.

Many supporters of Council member Silbiger spoke to the council in support of his promotion to mayor, citing his support of the community and his responsiveness to their requests. But the members of the council took their own views

In a further twist, voting for the office of Vice Mayor was 4 to 1, with all council members voting to give the office to Armenta except for Armenta. Mr. Armenta has since accepted the position, and says he is “looking forward to serving the commmuity.” Mr. Armenta stated that his no vote was against the process, and not against accepting the position.

There are still many appointments to be settled for the coming year, and the next council meeting may be just as surprising.

Without clarifying and codifying the rules by which the Mayor is elected, there is always the possibility that tradition will not be followed. While that’s surprising, it isn’t wrong. By the same argument, what’s legal and what’s right are not always synonymous either. Politics remains the “art of the possible”.