My days as a neighborhood councilman for Del Rey, an area of Los Angeles, are running out. The Del Rey Neighborhood Council (DRNC) held its elections for a new set of area directors this past Saturday. I decided not to run again since, during my first term as Area C Director, I didn't really contribute anything other than attending the monthly board meetings. It didn't feel good to be a non-contributing board member, so I thought it was best to give the opportunity to someone else.
I got involved more than a year ago because I thought that it would be a good opportunity to help shape the direction of Del Rey. I wanted to help build the identity of the area which is often advertised by realtors as "Marina Del Rey adjacent". I wanted to make it more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. I wanted to encourage transit-oriented development. As it turns out, no one else seemed to share my concerns. Most people just talked about reducing the height of new buildings, making sure new buildings had enough automobile parking, and widening lanes on arterial roads to help ease the traffic congestion. Admittedly, I didn't try that hard to push my concerns. I think I just never really felt that close to the other board members.
There were two candidates that ran for my replacement. The winning candidate defeated her opponent by a vote of 4 to 3! Yes, that means only 7 people voted for that position. Sad, huh? Anyway, I'm now a lame duck, waiting for the new Area C Director to take over. I'll probably continue to go to the board meetings, but at least now I won't feel guilty for not participating.
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