Five Minutes: Councilman Scott Malsin

A New York native, Councilman Scott Malsin has been involved with Culver City politics for nearly a decade. In 2001, he was member of the Culver City Planning Commission, and then in 2006 he got elected to the City Council. In addition to his City Council work, he works with the Culver City Exchange Club and has a passion for bringing new businesses to West Washington Boulevard.

A web designer by profession, Malsin's work in the community also includes establishing the Culver West Neighborhood Association and organizing tree-planting projects that have brought nearly 100 new trees to Culver City neighborhoods. 

Malsin spoke with Patch about what's ahead for the city.

Culver City Patch: What made you decide to run for office? 

Scott Malsin: I thought I could make a difference. I love this community, and I want to see it prosper and be a place where people are happy and proud to live in. 

Patch: How does your political life merge with your professional and personal life? 

Malsin: There's no question that it's tough. The one thing I never shortchange is the time I spend with my family. For me, they come first.

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

Malsin: Being able to establish a sustainable balance between revenues and expenditures is the single biggest issue facing Culver City right now.  Having a very stable financial footing makes it possible for us to pursue new initiatives and to provide the excellent level of service that people are used to.

Another issue we are facing relates to retiree medical benefits. Unlike pension benefits, which are well-funded, Culver City has not set aside the funds necessary to support retiree medical benefits.

In the future, they could grow fast and large enough to crush the city.

Patch: How do you plan on changing it? 

Malsin: We've made a great deal of progress over the past year. We have a pretty clear way forward at this point. We are moving to a tiered retirement benefit structure—we are adopting a cafeteria health plan for city employees and we have established a funding stream that we are dedicating to cover our medical benefit costs. We still have a lot of ground to make up, but these three steps are an excellent start. 

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

Malsin: We will be talking about the future of the Expo Line station area, and the future of Parcel B, which is the piece of land between Culver Hotel and Trader Joe's. 

Patch: How do Culver City officials need to improve in keeping residents informed about issues that affect them? 

Malsin: Culver City does an excellent job of keeping residents informed. People find out about issues that matter to them through e-mail notifications. They can call city staff, or come to council meetings to let members know what they think. One of the things that makes Culver City special is how accessible council members are. People can ask questions and share their thoughts with them very easily. 

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

Malsin: That I am working hard to make Culver City the best it can be—and I am very proud of our community and very excited with where we are and where we are going.