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 30, 2014 -- Question: Not including Santa Monica, what is your favorite US City and why?

Name: Jennifer Kennedy
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Manager/Consultant
Answer: That’s a toss up between New York and Los Angeles. I can’t get enough of either. Like many people do, I love to eat my way through L.A. whenever I have free time. I keep finding new flavors and new spots to try, restaurant or street - I’ll stop anywhere to try something unique. And when I’m in New York I feel inspired and refreshed. I used to work in New York - took public transit and rode the inbound reversible bus lanes into Manhattan – and I just love how much activity you can pack into a lunch hour there. Whenever I go back, I sometimes venture out alone or with my son. I’ve heard it’s hard to keep up with me in NYC.

Name: Michael Feinstein
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Author/Writer
Answer: Minneapolis. I was born in Greece, adopted by Americans, and raised in Minnesota. I go back to Minnesota at least once a year, because my parents are buried there, and I still have many friends and family there. Something about the climate and pace of life there is still deep within me.  Minneapolis also has the best park system in the US, especially around Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles. All are next to each other in the middle of the city. I go there to skate, bike, walk and swim. There is also fantastic adaptive reuse of old buildings, so the scale and feel remains relatively preserved, making it easier to ‘go home’ and still feel ‘at home.’

Name: Jon Mann
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Teacher
Answer: Boston, Massachusetts because of its true patriotic history, sophisticated cultural heritage and progressive political model.

Name: Richard McKinnon
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Business Owner
Answer: New York. The street life and diversity.

Name: Kevin McKeown
Status: Incumbent
Occupation: Apple Technology Consultant for Local Public Schools in Santa Monica and Malibu
Answer: As a former rock radio on-air personality, and huge fan of the diverse cultural mix that has given the world American music, no city excites me quite like the musical gumbo pot itself, New Orleans. It’s not the safest city, nor the best managed, but that doesn’t matter when you’re strolling Frenchmen Street, listening to the raucous richness of New Orleans musicianship spilling out of bars and clubs, or strutting down the boulevard in a second-line parade. Oh, I love Congress Avenue in Austin, and I’ve left my heart in San Francisco more than once; New York is in my blood, and the Pacific Northwest’s Portland and Seattle draw me back, at least in the dry summertime; but it’s New Orleans that keeps me jazzed.

Name: Zoë Muntaner
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Founder/Chief Compassion Officer, Writer, Creative Activist, Chief Strategy Officer
Answer: New York

Name: Whitney Scott Bain
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Journalist
Answer: Carmel, California. It’s quiet and clean.

Name: Nick Boles
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Non-Profit Consultant/Entrepreneur
Answer: Austin, TX. This city is has managed to become a beacon of arts, culture, and diversity surrounded by uniform Texas norms. There is a great educational institution, fast public transport, and an engaging community that welcomes visitors with a smile and handshake.

Name: Phil Brock
Status: Challenger
Occupation: President/CEO of Studio Talent Group
Answer: Denver. It's an active population concerned with wellness (not studying wellness, being well!), has great public transportation sources (including free downtown transit, bike sharing, train systems, walking & biking paths) and a city government that is designed around the wellbeing of its residents. It is a city long concerned being green and sustainable. And, I love the proximity to mountains, lakes, prairies and ​popular amenities.

Name: Frank Gruber
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Urban Affairs Writer and Lawyer
Answer: I grew up in Philadelphia, and I always have a soft spot for it. It’s very walkable and has great cultural resources, yet it provides easy access to nature in the form of great parks.

Name: Terence Later
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Entertainment Consultant
Answer: San Francisco, for their diversity, harmony, art, and commonality.

Name: Pam O’Connor
Status: Incumbent
Occupation: Historic Preservation Planner
Answer: Chicago, where I grew up. Great people, great parks, great culture … and lovable, though not great, sports teams.

Name: Jerry Rubin
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Peace Activist
Answer: Of course my hometown of Philadelphia. So many memories. And always great to root for mostly losing sports teams. Go Phillies … next year.

Name: Sue Himmelrich
Status: Challenger
Occupation: Attorney at Western Center on Law and Poverty
Answer: Baltimore, Maryland, where I grew up and where my parent and two of my brothers still reside. Best part of Baltimore: the Baltimore Orioles. Go Birds!