Respect and Civility

By Andrew N. "Andy" Weissman

Being respectful to all points of view is essential to good government. Leadership requires the desire, creativity and patience to engage in dialogue with those who disagree with you. And to do so respectfully and without being disagreeable.

Decisions are the product of reason and balance. Decision-making is a process; a process of analyzing, questioning, balancing and, in the end, making choices in the best interests of Culver City.

Much of what affects Culver City are things we cannot directly control. You can try to influence them. You can work really hard to try and get people to see things your way. You can push projects, ideas and philosophy that you are trying to get implemented. But advocating for a position versus achieving a result is where leadership and experience counts. That is where an ability to bring people together and achieve consensus is critical. I think experience demonstrates that no single person will be able to do much alone. You must recognize that you are going to spend a lot of time talking to a lot of other people, having conversations about the causes you believe in, with people who may believe differently. This process can be eye opening. It can change opinions. If done in good faith, it generally results in a cooperative effort working toward a mutually beneficial result.

That's what I have to offer; it's what I have been doing for Culver City for the past 30 years. As Chair of the Charter Review Committee, I successfully guided as diverse a group of community members as you could imagine to a unanimous recommendation to the City Council on a new Charter that was approved by the voters in 2006.

I have the knowledge, experience and the skill to work with groups to gain consensus.

With your support, I will have the opportunity to continue to do this as a member of the City Council