After the latest Candidates Forum had ended, on the campus Yeshiva Ohr Eliyahu, City Council contender Mehaul O’Leary made a move that he admitted later he might regret.
“Out of a sense of fair play,” he told thefrontpageonline.com, he stood up and delivered a strong — impromptu — rationale on behalf of the No camp in the Measure V campaign.
Mr. O’Leary defended his unscripted appearance as a response to another spontaneous event — impassioned pro-Measure V speeches by Blair Hills activists Harriette Williams and Mim Shapiro after the scheduled program was over.
“For a moment, it got pretty intense,” Mr. O’Leary said.
“The moderator should have stopped the speeches (by the pro-Measure V side) before they progressed nearly as far as they did.
“I had the impression things were getting a little out of hand. And while I was speaking, somebody was even calling out to me, arguing. I mean, it was okay between us at the end. But it got intense.”
He Is the Only Opponent
Mr. O’Leary, a first-time candidate in a three-way race for two City Council seats, is the only contender who is against the Charter Reform proposition.
Vice Mayor Gary Silbiger and Planning Commission member Scott Malsin enthusiastically support Measure V.
Until Blair Hills, Mr. O’Leary had been telling audiences matter-of-factly that he was against Measure V because the numerous proposed Charter changes are being presented as a single ballot item rather than separately.
Throughout the campaign — before Blair Hills — not one hair in anyone’s beetle-browed eyebrow has been raised as the candidates delineated their positions. The loudest response was a shrug from a woman who resembled Venus de Milo.
All of that screeched to a halt on Wednesday night.
As Ms. Williams and Ms. Shapiro, members of the Charter Review Committee, were reveling in its wonderful accomplishments, Mr. O’Leary said he became increasingly “fed up.” He felt they depicted a picture that was too perfect in recounting how smoothly the committee performed.
Right or Wrong?
“I got tired of hearing over and over how hard they had worked on this for two years,” he said. “How much they all agreed with each other. How they all were of one mind.
“Let me tell you. I wish I had been at their meetings.
“But I have read the minutes. I know, it is not the same as being there. But they had plenty of disagreements.
“A united front is being presented, over and over, to the community.
“That is neither fair nor accurate. I objected to the distortions.
“The Charter Review Committee was far from perfect. By the votes that I was reading about in the minutes, they disagreed over plenty.”
One man who was in the audience of an estimated fifty persons, gave the following account of what happened:
“After the program was finished, Harriette stood up. She let everyone know how wrong the No’s were about the proposed Charter, what the Committee was asked by the City Council to do, how it was debated and structured, and why it was one complete package.
“She was steaming.
“When she finished, Mim planted herself in front of the exit door. She wouldn’t let anyone leave. She explained why the current Charter is seriously outdated and why it needs to be changed.”
A woman who witnessed the entire scene described it as “one of the more unusual campaign moments I ever have seen.”
By yesterday, Mr. O’Leary, who, by some perceptions, has risen from third place to a tie for the lead, was not certain whether his action had been correct.
“It was the part about fairness that got to me,” he said.
“I was thinking, as these things were happening, that maybe I should not stand up. I had to, though. It was not fair that only the other side of Measure V would be heard.
“”Then as I tried to talk, I thought I was being shut down. I got the impression some people thought ‘How dare this kid stand up here and say those things?’”
Does Mr. O’Leary expect fallout from the incident.
“We will see on April 11,” he said, mentioning Election Day.
This Is a Sign of What?
In the first report of its kind in the election season, four O’Leary lawn signs have been reported stolen from the 4100 block of Commonwealth Avenue.
McConnell Boulevard also reported similar trespassing adventures.
The O’Leary has dispatched the following email: “This is a Campaign Alert. Is your Mehaul yard (or window) sign where it is supposed to be? Please let us know immediately, via email, if your Mehaul sign has been ‘lost.’ We will promptly install a brand new Mehaul sign.
“It seems that some nefarious person or persons unknown have been lurking about Culver City, either in broad daylight or during the wee hours of the morning, stealing our artfully designed signs.”