In Santa Monica we don’t elect our mayor directly, like LA or Long Beach or many other cities.
In a distortion of the European model, where you vote locally for a party candidate and the party that wins a majority picks the supreme leader from among their ranks. The founding fathers decided Americans would want to vote directly for a president, a very important office, for which they wrote all sorts of new rules. Which can all be broken, we have sadly discovered, a couple of centuries later, if a small group decides democracy is no longer their value.
So here in Santa Monica we elect our seven City Council members at large, still, not by district like almost every other election in America. Rejecting a switch to district voting for Council members, by our previous City Council, may cost the city tens of millions in legal fees, so far. They offered their specious arguments defending the action, but quite a few of us believe it was solely to maintain the power of those in power. If you only have to campaign in a smaller district instead of the whole city, you can actually go door to door and don’t need piles of campaign cash to convince the entire city. Sue Himmelrich spent/invested $140,000 of her own money to get elected to Council. And then demanded that she become mayor for two years and would not accept a one year term, as many mayors have, including Brock.
Although the vote for mayor by City Council members is not done in closed session, we can be pretty sure there is a lot of horse trading and quid pro quo going on. It may seem like the mayor has no special power except to chair the Council meetings (which can make a difference), there is more, especially if you are ambitious to push forward your agenda. As I have observed more closely over the years how mayors act on the dais, I have seen some break rules and traditions unfairly. Also, some mayors have been known for rude treatment of their constituents who come to speak before their City Council. I’m hoping, and believing, that Phil Brock will not have a single such instance during his tenure.
Phil Brock was born here
Grew up here. His mother was born here, and still lives here. His grandparents moved here and never left. When Brock was 16 he started working at the Boys Club, and except for one short time spent out of town, has been serving the city he loves every day in some capacity ever since. Parks & Recreation, Arts Commission, Kiwanis, Samohi Alumni Association, Elks, Salvation Army. Since becoming a Council member he stepped up his activities so much he had to turn his casting agency business over completely to his partner, Kathryn Boole. He has met non-stop with elected officials from surrounding cities, and throughout the state. He’ll likely be there at the grand opening of every local business. Light the Christmas tree, light the Menorah? Look for Phil.
Actually, you won’t have to look. You’ll hear him, or see him in a crowd, likely answering questions. His schedule is exhausting and he seems to have no intention of slowing down. In fact, as mayor I expect him to up the ante.
Phil Brock is a big guy. With a big ego. So what? Anyone who accomplishes big things has a big ego, it’s just that Phil is not as skilled, or interested, in pretending otherwise. He rubs some people the wrong way. But I would caution them to take a look at all that he does, and why he does it. Because I have been a friend of Phil’s for a long time, I know about a lot of the things he does that most people never find out about. We are blessed to have this man as a volunteer, public servant, commissioner and now mayor. He has endured a lot to attain, and keep, his elected office: smear campaigns, deceptive policy attacks, even a wrestling match with a mentally ill guy on the mall.
Sometimes I will speak with him after a particularly rough Council meeting and half expect him to say, again, that he won’t run again (I don’t believe he would ever quit mid-term, certainly not without letting us know why, like Kevin McKeown did). In fact I am usually a little surprised to find him in such good spirits. For years I urged him to run for council, and he always expressed great misgivings. But he knew for someone who wanted to give back to his city, there was no better place for that than City Council.
I’m sure a few of you are muttering to yourself, how can Charles Andrews cover City government when the mayor is his friend? Two ways. One, I’m not a reporter, I write an opinion column. As someone degreed in journalism and steeped in the ethics of it, I understand that you have to keep watching for those pitfalls. It’s tough to criticize a friend but sometimes you have to. Two, I’ve been doing it for three years, since Brock was elected. The title of mayor makes no difference, except maybe raising the expectations. I have criticized his political performance in the past, probably more than for any other Council member.
Last Monday Brock spoke to Northeast Neighbors in a zoom meeting, and I liked what I heard. He started off by saying that his number one priority, same as it has been since he was elected, is safety, and crime. He correctly opined that it should be the number one priority of any elected official, and I agree. Of course, a major complaint here is that our elected officials have not given that enough attention. I have heard people say, the slate was elected three years ago and nothing has been done. I believe a lot has changed, but one man or a minority coalition cannot cure such major ills in even a few years. They can make progress, and I believe they have.
So look out, Phil, people will really be coming for you now. They’ll be watching both of us even more carefully. But I’m guessing we both welcome it. Having the public eye is the best way to get things done.
I am very optimistic about Santa Monica’s future. Let’s make this next year be the beginning of turning around our "crisis of spirit," as Brock called it. He also spoke Monday of bringing forth Santa Monica’s identity as an arts city. Phil and I have talked about that for years, and now he has a chance to push that to the fore. That’s an agenda I can get behind. And will.
Final (unrelated, sour) note
Whoever painted an ugly yellow "dolphin" over the cherished mural by Daniel Alonzo has no brain, no heart, soul, talent, sense of community or decency. I hope it will be restored by the time you read this.
Charles Andrews has lived in Santa Monica for 37 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com
