Two Reasons for Rejection
On June 26, City Council members cited two reasons for turning down the Mayor’s request — a similar youth group already exists, and empirical evidence suggests that teens are not interested. They are too busy with more traditional activities to make a separate political commitment. Four chins on the City Council dropped in unison on Monday nght, as if they had just been struck, when Mr. Silbiger declared his intention to go privately organize. In contrast to the Mayor’s energized volleys of eagerness, reactions from his seatmates ranged from cool to phlegmatic. Not unexpectedly, the sharpest criticism came from the Vice Mayor, Alan Corlin. “This is an idea that manifests an inability to compromise,” he said. Councilman Steve Rose was neither leading cheers nor placing impediments in the Mayor’s path. “As an individual outside of City Hall,” Mr. Rose said, “a member of the City Council may set up any kind of advisory committee he or she feels is needed.” Does that mean Mr. Rose endorses the Youth Advisory Committee? “I do not set myself up as an approver or disapprover,” he answered. Councilwoman Carol Gross, one of the most prolific opinionmakers on the dais, declined to comment publicly.
He Will Not Be Discouraged
Such distancing merely bounces off of Mr. Silbiger. He has been hearing these kinds of chilly comments ever since he introduced the concept. Peer approbation is not on the Mayor’s mind — for now. “I am just doing what any official should have the right to do,” Mr. Silbiger said. “I am forming this committee — which will report to me — because I see a need.” If approval is not on his mind, though, the Mayor still longs for the formal certification of City Hall. “When this committee becomes successful,” he said, “when youth become involved in the city, I expect to bring the committee back to the City Council again for discussion. I expect (the rest of the City Council) to say that now they see positive aspects of this idea and that they want to incorporate the group into the city.”
The Mayor’s Biggest Chore
Not only is the Mayor undeterred, he may be more motivated, more hyped than the teenagers he is recruiting. The Mayor’s most daunting chore this summer may be finding 10 boys and girls to be the charter members of his Youth Advisory Committee. With school out, Mr. Silbiger the Recruiter will need to be imaginative in his search. “I have looked at the websites of other cities,” he said. “What they are doing to encourage the participation of youth is really impressive. Voting probably will be one of our main subjects in the beginning. Youth, as a group, you know, are the lowest percentage of voters. That should not be. Why is this so? Maybe because they never have been included before, and maybe because they don’t understand the importance of the voting process.” Young persons between the ages of 14 and 21 are eligible as long as they live in Culver City. On the application sheet he has prepared, Mr. Silbiger asks students to describe their vision of the mission of the he also inquires about their working experience.
Postscript Chore
Just before departing for a working weekend of his own in Washington, D.C., Mr. Silbiger bid farewell with a signature statement. “I want my Youth Advisory Committee to be a diverse group, racially and geographically,” he said.
Mr. Silbiger can be reached at gary.silbiger@culvercity.org.