Five Minutes: Councilman Andrew Weissman

As a resident since 1952, Councilman Andrew Weissman—better known as "Andy"—has seen Culver City change from its days as a sleepy town to a booming dining mecca. With a passion to serve the community, Weissman has been on the city's Planning Commission, then the Civil Service Commission and then the Human Services and Parks Commission before becoming mayor and councilman. 

Culver City Patch: What is the biggest issue that needs changing in Culver City?

Andrew Weissman: The biggest challenge facing Culver City is the one facing most municipalities in the nation, and that is finances.

Culver City is fortunate to have been well managed over the years and have a significant reserve, which has helped avoid some of the horrible choices being made in other communities. We have managed to avoid decimating our employee base and our services to the community. We have maintained an economic development program that should stand us in good stead when the economy picks up steam.

But this will be a challenge well into our future. How long and how lasting it's going to be depends in a large measure on things we have no control over, particularly at the state and federal levels. 

Patch: How do you plan on dealing with this crisis? 

Weissman: We took a major step forward with the budget recently, which unfortunately eliminated a total of 60 positions, a majority of which were vacant, but we still had to offer some retirement incentives to other employees to avoid layoffs.

We dipped into our reserves in order to reduce the $4-million structural deficit that we are currently facing, down to $2 million. We have to deal with this deficit the next fiscal year, in July 2012. Amongst the things we are looking at are negotiations with our bargaining groups to provide us with some financial relief, and adjusting fees and assessment wherever appropriate.

Patch: What is the biggest issue that the City Council will be addressing in coming months that Culver City residents should know about?

Weissman: We'll be considering a host of economic development projects. If developers are willing and able to come forward to move these plans along, we hope to have an economic renaissance. We are optimistic that things have stabilized economically, and that some of the projects that were stalled over the last two or three years are going to be able to get financed and developed.

Patch: How do you balance your professional and personal life?

Weissman: It's quite a time management exercise. We are part-time councilmen and so we have full-time jobs. I am an attorney when I'm not a councilman. My wife and I have five children and four grandchildren, all of whom live locally.

So we have the opportunity to see all of them on a regular basis, which makes it very challenging to manage business, city and family. 

Patch: How do you believe Culver City officials can improve the ways in which they keep residents informed about issues that affect them? 

Weissman: Communication is always a challenge in this day and age. In general, the city does a good job in keeping its residents informed. We have a very comprehensive website that is updated on a routine basis. Our council agenda is available online and is published weekly.

We send e-mail notices and written postcards or letter notices to the community regarding different projects. We publish advertisements in newspapers and we print press releases. But there's a big difference between having information available, and having people take advantage of the information.  

Patch: What is the one thing you would want Culver City residents to know about you?

Weissman: I've been a product of the community. I have been involved with the community in one form or another for 30 years, so I suspect that anything anyone wants to know about me is available to them at anytime.

I am known as someone who lives, works and plays in Culver City. Not only am I a Culver City High School graduate, but also my law office has been here since the '50s. I'm pretty much a fixture as far as Culver City is concerned.