Last night’s WeHo for the People Candidate Forum produced few fireworks, but it did ignite a campaign season that’s been on simmer all summer long. And the candidates left no doubt that they were ready for primetime.
The “next generation” — Robert Oliver, Zekiah Wright, Chelsea Byers, Jordan Cockeram, as well as the slightly older Adam Darvish and Marquita Thomas — each made a strong first impression, distinguishing themselves from one another and giving WeHo a clearer idea of the kind of Councilmembers they might become if elected.
But the “old guard” — Lauren Meister, John Heilman, Steve Martin and John Duran — came out swinging, too, possessed with new fire and conviction. Duran and Martin in particular embraced the concerned father figure role to get their points across. Meister reminded viewers at every turn that she fought against nearly all of the unpopular decisions made by her colleagues on City Council.
Sarah Adolphson, largely unknown to the public before last night, stood out with her sunny demeanor and natural conversation style. Chelsea Byers, on the other hand, left some viewers with the impression that her lightning-fast, word-perfect responses could only be the result of having early access to the forum questions. She told WEHOville that’s not the case, attributing her performance to being prepared and invested in city affairs.
Overall, the candidates pulled no punches, giving us their genuine sides and answering honestly — although we never did hear how many years Wright has lived in West Hollywood. If they get back to us, we’ll update you.
And lastly, still no word from Ben Savage on his absence from the forum … so boy doesn’t meet world, at least not yet.
CLOSING COMMENTS
LAUREN MEISTER — “I’ve lived in West Hollywood over 30 years both as a renter and a homeowner. Like you, I love West Hollywood. but we have serious challenges and we need people on the dais who will take these challenges seriously. This is a time when council priorities must be laser focused on local issues affecting our residents and businesses , like Public Safety, homelessness, and affordability. Not future political careers. And not interests outside this city. This is a time when experience matters most. I started my journey in public service advocating for our neighborhoods and I’m still you neighborhood advocate on the council. I’ve worked hard to represent you and the best interests of the city.”
JOHN HEILMAN — “I have a strong record of getting things done here in the City of West Hollywood. People know that I have worked very hard, in fact, I have dedicated my entire life to serving the people and the community of West Hollywood . I do that because I love this city and I’m committed to it being better. I want us to get back to basics. Public safety, serving the residents, but I also want to lead us into the future.”
SARAH ADOLPHSON — “I am not a career politician I am here simply because I love this city. And while I don’t know if I have all the answers, I know what I’m extremely good at: that is listening to people. Identifying their hopes, their dreams, their concerns, and then going out and finding the resources, the opportunities and the partnerships to help them realize that change and get the outcomes they want. And that is exactly what I will be, for the residents of West Hollywood. that is what I am for my clients, what I’ve done my entire career. And I am here to support you, West Hollywood.”
CHELSEA BYERS — “I understand as a community we are in the crosshairs of change. We do not want to forget our past. We have a history that is so unique and valuable as a city and we cannot move into the future by holding on to the past so much that we lose our focus. We need someone who has a deep both an appreciation for where we come from and a deep appreciation of where we need to go to tackle our most pressing issues including climate change, housing, health care and mobility safety. We need somebody connected, who can collaborate with all our regional partners to make West Hollywood all we need to thrive. The most important thing to me is that we live up to our core values and a future we create together.”
JOHN DURAN — “If you are a liberal when you’re young it shows you’ve got a good heart. But if you don’t any have common sense when you get older it shows you’ve got no head. And I have to ask, for the past two years, how are things going? The city is teetering on falling off the rails in the past two years. And you’re given a very clear choice. You can get a “mini-me” of the current version of the city council, because some on the council are supporting some of these candidates. You can get a “mini-me” version, or we can go back to what we had, a strong relationship with the sheriff, a strong relationship to the Chamber of Commerce, economic prosperity. All these things were put in place because so many worked so hard to build this city — it’s all under threat. Let’s get back to sanity.”
ZEKIAH WRIGHT — “I have heard from so many residents and they want more from the city council. They want to know their concerns are being addressed. They want to know that there are solutions that are inclusive of their viewpoints, and their perspectives and who they are. We need leaders at the table that are bridge builders. We need leaders at the table that will forge strong relationships and partnerships, and collaborate with all the interests in the city to make this city better for everyone. This city is amazing and its represented some amazing things, and we have the ability and the power to make decisions now that will welcome a generation for years to come. So let’s make sure we are making that and not closing those doors.”
JORDAN COCKERAM — “I hear your concerns. As a City Councilmember, my job to listen to what the residents and the stakeholders of West Hollywood want. It’s not to push my own agenda and that’s not what I’m going to do. I’ve spent the entire campaign listening to and talking about all the issues that our city is facing. I’m not an expert on every issue and none of the candidates are. What I am good at is talking to those who are experts, gathering as much information as I can and making an informed decisions. I want to hear from you now and I want to hear from you when I am on the City Council.”
ADAM DARVISH — “I will be your true independent candidate. I am not getting any endorsements or donations from unions, from developers or elected officials. I am an immigrant that came to this country with a lot of passion, and a lot of love for the country and for the city that I’ve lived in for 27 years And what I went through two years ago drove me to this point. So you have my comittment 24/7 to be your representative in that seat. And I will act on your issues.”
ROBERT OLIVER — “We are small but mighty city, but the city that we love is facing some serious challenges right now. I think we can work together, we can come together as one community again to build a more just and equitable society, but at the same time we can take every measure to keep our city safe and address crime. these are not mutually exclusive goals. In fact, the two are dependent on one another. So I want everyone in this community residents today and future residents that they are safe and welcome and I want more to experience residents what I experienced as a young gay man.”
MARQUITA THOMAS: “I’m the CEO of a Chamber that serves largest metro area in the country. I’m a renter, a transit rider and I experience many of same things that many of our working residents do, more so than some of the other candidates. I’m not just pro business; I’m also pro working people, I advocate for workers, and I’ve also secured billions of dollars in opportunities for women, minorities, LGBT- and veteran-owned businesses. I support law enforcement but also know public safety is a collaborative effort between everyone and the city. The residents made their voices known in 2020. They want bold new voices — I am running to be one of those bold new voices.”
STEVE MARTIN — “The vision of West Hollywood’s future is not going to be had looking in the rear view mirror. But having said that I’ve got the experience and the proven ability to bring people together and get things done. This city is in crisis, because we have incompetent self-righteous leaders. With the exception of Lauren Meister, people are not focused on West Hollywood or what is best for our community. They are playing to political ambitions and outside groups. We really need to bring West Hollywood back home. There are a lot of challenges that need to be met. We’ve got a crisis with law enforcement and public safety. We’ve got a crisis in housing. We’ve got to keep people in their homes. And we really need to bring some common sense back to city hall.”
I will continue to turn to Wehoville for my local campaign information. Excellent coverage.
ANYONE, associated with that lunatic Far Left group of Septic, Horv, Erikso, are a NOOOOOOO!
As always, I wish all of the candidates well. It takes guts to run for office. Backseat drivers always claim to know more, can do more, have better ideas. Yet the hide behind fake names. This all being said, the winners of the evening were clear to me. 1-lauren 2- Martin 3- Heilman. They are knowledgeable, dedicated, and have the experience to get us out of this public safety mess. While mending fences with the biz community as well as the chamber. I don’t always agree with the chambers stance, but there needs to be a working relationship with them.… Read more »
Jordan Cockeram’s performance was disappointing. Should have done better since it was clear he got the questions in advance. Maybe from Alan?
Hi SMH, I’m sorry you thought my performance was disappointing! I promise I didn’t get any of the questions in advance, just the topics that would be covered, as did all of the candidates. I certainly tried my hardest to show the viewers at home that I care about the city, that I am knowledgable about the issues, and that I’m working hard to fix them. I said this in my closing statement, and I will say it again now: I am not an expert on every issue, and I don’t pretend to be. What I can promise is that… Read more »
Don’t let people mess with your head. You held your own and you have every reason to be proud of your performance, which was often thought provoking and thoughtful.
Byers was one who was clearly reading prepared statements. You could see her eyes shifting from side to side as she was reading. She is written of as living here only two years, is already on a commission and thinks she’s ready for a seat on he Council? Also, wasn’t there an article in this very site about concerns of anti Semitism on her part? Wright has never said a concrete thing. They could stand in front of an erupting volcano or a plague of rampaging zombies and just blather on about bridge building and opening doors and how amazing… Read more »
Byers need to address the two points raised by Rabbi Weinberg, to date she has not. She has an opportunity here to clear the slate, but her decision to ignore suggests we need to be concerned about her possibly being anti semitic and/or against the State of Israel.
Good job Wehoville, and to the Chamber of Commerce for producing an excellent and very informative forum.
Any of these candidates associated with or endorsed by the dreadful Woke SHE – Shyne, Horvath and Erickson, is a no vote.
Ditto
It’s impressive how Marquita Thomas kept it local and addressed all of the big concerns, without reacting to the current City Council. She was smart and specific, and didn’t go into all kinds of building bridges and alliances talk, blah blah blah. I don’t care what the current council is doing now, I want to know what the candidates will do to change things.
Impressive? Such as publicly stating WH West residents are racist? Two sides to this person but clever on Tuesday night.
Chelsea Byers is the most offensive of the bunch, followed by Robert Oliver nipping at her heels.
I don’t want Zekiah Wright making decisions on my behalf, no matter how long this person has lived in West Hollywood.
Byers and Oliver would be more of the same. Supported by Shyne & Erickson. They cannot be allowed to sit on a city Council.
Based on reported campaign donations, here’s who the current city council members are supporting in the Nov election:
You analysis is wrong. Those candidates may receive a stipend donation, but those are not the endorsements. And some of your donor lists are missing facts, damico donated to thomas, erickson donated by oliver, your kind of way off in saying that is ‘who they are supporting, versus formally endorsed.
Yes guys, excellent coverage.
Byers & Oliver can never be allowed to sit on our council. It would be like Shyne & Erickson Part 2.
Excellent coverage Larry & Brandon. Accurate & easy to follow..🏆👏👏👏
Thank you Larry and Brandon for your outstanding presentation of the facts. The value that you both bring to the process is priceless and so greatly appreciated. We would all be lost without you guys. Thank you thank you thank you .