First of two parts. 

A keen observer of the political scene almost a decade and a half after leaving office as the mayor of Culver City, Ed Wolkowitz returns with the most frequently voiced refrain of the past four weeks:

“I am curious about the next four years,” he said.

A Democrat who supported  Hillary Clinton, Mr. Wolkowitz cited a Wall Street Journal essay by Peggy Noonan to precisely label his vote. “She said the presidential race was a contest between ‘a crook and a crazy man.’ I guess I voted for the crook because I am really concerned about the crazy man.

“I also am finding it interesting,” said the Century City attorney, “that Donald Trump is walking back a lot of things he said during the campaign. This is why I have been telling people:

“‘Try to ignore what he says and wait to see what he does.’”

In that spirit, Mr. Wolkowitz sees Mr. Trump’s term as a wash. “My sense is, Trump is not going to do much of anything,” he said.

The former mayor is not going to drop his guard.

“I have concerns about some people he has nominated for his Cabinet,” Mr. Wolkowitz said.

He is not fretting over the selection of controversial Steve Bannon as senior advisor “because Trump doesn’t take advice from anyone. So having a senior advisor is like having a potted plant in the oval office.”

Has anything reassuring happened in the past month? Does Mr. Wolkowitz feel better today than he did on Election Day?

“No, I don’t,” he said. “I never have found politics to be reassuring in any sense.”

(To be continued)