Saturday at Bill Botts Field, city council candidate Meghan Sahli-Wells said "culver city is a oasis inside a metropolis, and we can foster a community here if we decide to." (Photo by Gary McCarthy)
Story Created:
Nov 24, 2009 at 5:29 PM PST
Story Updated:
Nov 27, 2009 at 6:14 AM PST
Meghan Sahli-Wells kicked off her campaign for city council with a Saturday gathering at Bill Botts Field, making her the second candidate vying for one of the two seats up for grabs in next year’s municipal election.
Surrounded by dozens of friends, family and supporters, Sahli-Wells turned around and pointed out the view of Culver City from a hilltop.
“All we have to do is look over here at our city,” she told the crowd, “and you can see what we’ve got today — and we can imagine what we want our future to be.”
Although she’s never run for office in Culver City before, Sahli-Wells has been active in civic affairs, currently serving on both the Advisory Committee for Redevelopment and the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
A Southern California native, Sahli-Wells spent the early years of her life in Laurel Canyon before moving to Culver City.
Sahli-Wells attended UCLA and earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, followed by postgraduate studies in Madagascar.
She said her experiences on that African island helped inspire a deep interest in environmental issues and matters of sustainability.
“I think Culver City has incredible potential to become a model for sustainability,” she told The Wave, adding: “I know what we’re doing here affects over there, so we just can’t wait.”
Sahli-Wells is also an avid bicyclist and promised to push for more bike paths if she were elected.
From an environmental standpoint, she advocates more local focus on issues like green space alternative energy usage.
“Culver City is an oasis inside of a metropolis and we can foster a community here if we decide to,” she said. “We can be a model for sustainable practices if we want to. But we need to have the vision and the courage to make the right choices.”
She also discussed concerns on budget matters, and revealed that she already agrees with some recent advice by City Manager Mark Scott: cutting lobbyists from the budget.
Instead, Sahli-Wells said the city should consider hiring grant writers. “That would be spending money to get money,” she said.
Sahli-Wells has already won the backing of two members of the city council: Vice Mayor Christopher Armenta and Councilman Gary Silbiger, who will term out next April.
Both spoke at her campaign kickoff event and officially announced their endorsements.
Sahli-Wells’ only opponent in the field thus far is Jeff Cooper, who became the first candidate to enter the race when he announced his council bid in July.
The 2010 municipal election will be held on April 13.
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