By Lookout Staff

Editor’s Note: The Lookout News sent several questions to the 14 candidates running for City Council. Each answer was limited to 125 words. The Lookout is publishing the candidates’ answers over several days. In each posting, the candidates' answers will be shown in the same order as their names appear on the ballot or in reverse order.

October 27, 2014 -- Questions: You are allowed to vote for up to three candidates in this City Council election. Who has your vote? Who is this city’s greatest council member in Santa Monica history past or present? What about this person earns the title?

Name: Sue Himmelrich
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Attorney at Western Center on Law and Poverty
Who are you voting for: Kevin McKeown and Jennifer Kennedy
Who is the greatest council member: Ken Genser. He was committed to the city, low income workers and tenants, slow growth – and he had a sense of humor. I only met him twice but he was a mensch.

Name: Jerry Rubin
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Peace Activist
Who are you voting for:  I will make my endorsements in a few weeks. I'm still deciding whether I'll even vote for myself!
Who is the greatest council member: There have been many, but I always think fondly of those who have passed on, including Ken Edwards, Ken Genser, Herb Katz and Christine Reed.

Name: Pam O’Connor
Status: Incumbent
Occupation: Historic Preservation Planner
Who are you voting for: I’ll be doing that in the voting booth.
Who is the greatest council member: Many dedicated people have served Santa Monica.  In the 19th century dedicated residents incorporated the City.  In the 1940s the City supported the War effort and the neighborhood of Sunset Park was built for the workers at the Douglas Aircraft plant.  In the 1950s many areas of the City were redeveloped into multi-family housing and these neighborhoods today provide housing for many residents.  In the mid-20th Century the downtown parking structures were constructed and in the 1990s the 3rd Street Promenade was redeveloped creating a thriving downtown.  No single person was responsible for any of these; rather the community worked together creating a City governance structure based on inclusion and participation.

Name: Terence Later
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Entertainment Consultant
Who are you voting for: Bobby Shriver and Oscar De La Torre.
Who is the greatest council member: Bobby Shriver, because in the short time he was here, he was key in helping to remedy the city’s homeless situation, especially concerning the veterans. He also consistently stood up to face the city’s wrongs against its own residents.

Name: Frank Gruber
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Urban Affairs Writer and Lawyer
Who are you voting for: I’m running an independent campaign and I’m not endorsing other candidates.
Who is the greatest council member: Limiting myself to past council members, and not picking the “greatest” since there are so many different criteria one could use to determine that, I nonetheless want to express my special admiration for the Reverend (and former Mayor) James Conn. I admire his unwavering support for social and economic justice for all, including workers and renters, and social programs to help the most vulnerable in our society and his thoughtful, collaborative style of leadership. I hope to be that kind of leader – one who holds true to his values but listens to all sides and bridges differences, instead of the acrimony that we too often see on the Council dais.

Name: Phil Brock
Status: Challenger
Occupation: President/CEO of Studio Talent Group
Who are you voting for: Phil Brock. I'm an independent voice who will work with whatever other Council Members are on the dais for the good of our residents, not outside business interests.
Who is the greatest council member: I have a tie between Herb Katz and Ken Genser. Both were willing to listen to residents, both reached beyond ideology and were willing to compromise for the good of our residents, and both left our city a better place.

Name: Nick Boles
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Non-Profit Consultant/Entrepreneur
Who are you voting for: I am a poll voter and will make my decision on election day.
Who is the greatest council member: Nat “Mr. Santa Monica” Trives. Nat has dedicated a substantial portion of his life to serving the public sector. His history of volunteerism and civic engagement has had a tremendous impact on the development of our city. He is probably helping someone as you read this. Initially obtaining elected office shortly after the civil rights movement, Mr. Trives served as a model for the youth of Santa Monica rather than take a critical approach. He received the highest vote count during his first run for council, approved 11 landmarks, ratified the purchase of the Newcomb Pier, transformed Douglas Manufacturing plant, and the list goes on… I strive to emulate his accomplishments and attitude towards public service.   

Name: Whitney Scott Bain
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Journalist
Who are you voting for: Whitney Scott Bain, Terence Later and Nick Boles
Who is the greatest council member: Bob Gabriel - He was a good leader and a good man.

Name: Zoë Muntaner
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Founder/Chief Compassion Officer, Writer, Creative Activist, Chief Strategy Officer
Who are you voting for: At this point no one. I am still waiting to see who supports my candidacy and the Latino community in this city.
Who is the greatest council member: I respect Kevin McKewon and his record also I am a fan of Bobby Shriver

Name: Kevin McKeown
Status: Incumbent
Occupation: Apple Technology Consultant for Local Public Schools in Santa Monica and Malibu
Who are you voting for: I need more slow-growth allies on the Council. Two Planning Commissioners are experienced and trustworthy to represent residents, not special interests: Jennifer Kennedy and Sue Himmelrich.  Both Jennifer and Sue, like me, have pledged not to take campaign contributions from hotels or developers. Jennifer Kennedy served eight years as an elected member of the Rent Board. Having worked with her for many years, I can personally attest that Jennifer is the real deal, and can be absolutely trusted to represent our interests. Sue Himmelrich, my other recommendation, is an attorney with the Western Center on Law and Poverty, and joined me and others in fighting the shameful eviction of vulnerable seniors from the Village Trailer Park. I’ll be voting for Jennifer, Sue, and myself (Kevin).
Who is the greatest council member: Ken Genser served almost one-third of the 68 years Santa Monica has had a City Council. If you sleep safe in a rent-controlled apartment, your family enjoys the security of affordable housing, or you earn the dignity of a living wage, Ken touched your life directly. He shared with us all a brilliant intellect, a bulldog's tenacity, a compassionate spirit and the heart of a mensch. Ken dazzled us repeatedly with his reliable capacity to think through solutions to make life better in Santa Monica. Time and again, faced with the most complex land-use decisions, Ken could thread the needle, when most people couldn’t even find the needle in our haystack of municipal zoning codes.  No one has ever demonstrated encyclopedic mastery like Ken Genser.

Name: Richard McKinnon
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Business Owner
Who are you voting for: I’ll work and collaborate with whoever is elected.
Who is the greatest council member: Ken Genser. Genser had a unique ability to see the big picture yet had extraordinary mastery of detail.

Name: Jon Mann
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Teacher
Who are you voting for: Myself and Phil Brock, as long as Phil doesn't sell out to Santa Monica Renters Rights (SMRR) and the city employee coalitions. At this stage of the campaign, Phil and I are the only candidates who dare to stand up to the other special interests running this city.
Who is the greatest council member: Everyone on the present council is responsible for the chaos from over development. I would have to go back to the days of Ruth Goldway to find a councilperson that could have been great if only she had been able to prevent SMRR from turning into just another political machine looking out for the interests of it's members, and losing touch with its base and grassroots priorities.

Name: Michael Feinstein
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Author/Writer
Who are you voting for: Fortunately the ballot is still secret :) I favor ranked-choice voting, where voters rank as many candidates as they want. This puts more power in the hands of voters, especially in highly competitive years like this, with vote splitting likely among many candidates who are generally on the same side of the political spectrum. In such highly competitive elections, our current system makes voting more guesswork than science, because its hard to know whether your votes will go towards electing someone who reflects your positions, or to someone who won’t get elected because of vote splitting among multiple candidates. Ranked-choice voting solves this, because if your first choice doesn’t win, your votes goes to your second and third choice until it helps elect someone.

Who is the greatest council member: While I personally know almost all of the Councilmembers who’ve served since 1981, I only started following the Council closely when the Council meetings started being broadcast on CityTV in late 1988. Soon after, I remember hearing David Finkel and Ken Genser talk at Council meetings in ways that resonated with me, and that got me more focused on local politics and the Council. While I don’t have one person who stands above all others, I personally served with Bloom, Ebner, Genser, Katz, Rosenstein, Greenberg, Holbrook, McKeown and O’Connor – and found good in all of them. I’ve also worked with many other past Councilmembers. We are lucky they stay involved as resources for our community.

Name: Jennifer Kennedy
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Manager/Consultant
Who are you voting for: Myself- Jennifer Kennedy, Councilmember Kevin McKeown and Sue Himmelrich.
Who is the greatest council member: Having worked in our community on many issues - renters’ rights, affordable housing, excellent public education, controlling development – I’d say Councilmember Kevin McKeown because I’ve seen first hand, on and off the dais, how much time and consideration he puts into his work as Councilmember, representing residents and being available, no matter what the issue. There’s a lot to do in Santa Monica to stay on top of things and Kevin barely rests. Attending a neighborhood group meeting on a weeknight, a SMRR meeting on a weekend, or a Planning Commission meeting when he was liaison, and on and on - Santa Monica residents know he loves this city, he’s responsive, and he can find answers or solutions when contacted. He earns the title.