COUNCIL VIOLATES POLICY

Shock and disgust were evident in the council chambers Monday night. Unity and kindness flew out the window as the council skipped over the next candidate scheduled to become Vice Mayor. Goran Eriksson was bypassed, and the council installed councilmember and former Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells in the position so she could become Mayor for a second time during her last year in office.

It appears the tenor of the next two years has been set and compromise is out the window.

With a few exceptions angry residents were adamantly opposed to the move to eliminate Eriksson from the rotation to the Mayors position.

City Councils in the past have always made sure that every councilmember would have the opportunity to serve in the honorary position of Mayor at least once.

Alex Fisch and Daniel Lee were installed as new members of the council. While their election remains under a cloud of investigation due to the distribution of fliers distributed by local attorney Les Greenberg attacking Fisch and Lee's opponents.

Observer Publisher Stephen Hadland and now former city council member Jim Clarke were singled out by Greenberg with scurrilous letters to the Culver City Police Chief and City Attorney demanding criminal prosecution of Hadland and Clarke.

Both the city attorney and the Los Angeles County District attorney's office declined to move forward citing Hadland and Clarke's protection under the United States Constitution of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

While no connection to the Fisch and Lee campaigns have yet been established to the smear campaign, several agencies are investigating the actions of this "phantom" committee. Greenberg is currently under investigation by the California State Bar for threating criminal action in a civil matter.