He Was Just Keeping His Word
Mr. Malsin looks at his inquisitor with wider-than-usual eyes, wondering why anyone should not have expected the strong, assertive performances he has given. “I am exactly the kind of Councilperson I told the voters I would be,” he said yesterday. “Thoughtful. Fair. Open-minded. Independent.” Mr. Corlin, probably the most ardent booster of the Councilman, said no one should have expected Mr. Malsin to be deferential, to mechanically bend to the will of his more established colleagues. “I mean, he’s a Yale graduate,” the Vice Mayor said. “Scott makes a difference on the Council because he is a voice of reason. He is thoughtful. He weighs all of the information that comes to him.”
In Contrast to Predecessor
Without identifying by name the Council member who previously occupied the Malsin chair, Mr. Corlin said that his friend is refreshingly inclusionary. “Scott is someone who genuinely wants consensus,” the Vice Mayor said. “He is not a lone ranger.”
Mr. Malsin has chosen a lightly traveled path to make his contributions distinct from those of his colleagues. He is prepared to concentrate his energies on subjects that others may regard as arcane. “I am interested in the large issues that are facing the city,” Mr. Malsin said. “But I want to make sure the less glamourous ones are not overlooked. It is easy to be interested in what’s glamourous. I find the long range, less glamourous stuff just as interesting.” Dipping into his briefcase, he withdrew several samples. “Let’s talk about retiree medical benefits (for city employees),” he said. “I want to make sure that within the next couple of years we make adequate allocations toward the funding that will be needed, in 10 or 15 years. With the baby boomers reaching retirement age, the number of retirees is going to continue to grow. The level of funding necessarily will increase, and we need to start saving for that now. Ten or 15 years is not the far distant future.”
The Family Hour
As Mr. Malsin spoke with thefrontpageonline.com, his diapered daughter Arden, who turned 2 last month, played nearby, entertaining her proud father more than he was entertaining her. Possibly because of wonkish aspects of his political personality, the home-based businessman seems to be enjoying life far more these days than politicians are supposed to. He says that he is not really a wonk because he enjoys working with people too much to tie himself to desk work. Detail-sensitive, he conducts his research meticulously. He can declaim at length on subjects that gather dust on the shelves of others.
Incentive to Recycle
Mr. Malsin sounded excited to talk about “the simple framework that has been put in place to encourage recycling by new businesses that come into town.” He says he is looking forward to a discussion in a month, on July 10, about an ordinance requiring dog owners to microchip their pets. “We are fortunate,” he said, “that a group like the Friends of Culver City Animals is very active,” he said. “Requiring a microchip is a simple, practical step that is not a financial burden on the city. And it is something we all can agree on.”
Playing in the Park
For the past two years, conversations with Mr. Malsin routinely have led to flowery mentions of his young daughter. And so it happened on this day. “One memory I will always cherish,” he said, “was an event that happened a couple of weeks ago. There was a ceremony dedicating the new play surface at Syd Kronenthal Park, recycled tires. It was a day when I could bring my daughter. So here was the scene. Arden was in one swing, and I was pushing her. Syd Kronenthal (about 92 years older than Ms. Malsin was in the next swing, and Alan Corlin was pushing him. Ohhh.”
Postscript
In the month of Father’s Day, this seemed to be an appropriate coda.