Ever wanted to tell the WeHo council members to “act their age!”?
Well, we’ve got some refreshing news for you. There’s a potential council candidate acting well above his age.
Meet Max Geschwind. He’s 16. He’s a Fairfax High School junior. And he says he’s seriously considering a run for a council seat in the 2015 election.
“I haven’t taken any steps towards a run,” Geschwind said. “It’s just something that I am seriously considering. I will say that if there is an open seat on the council (e.g. [Jeffrey] Prang resigns to become LA County Assessor) then I do intend to run for City Council.”
In case you were wondering, Geschwind will turn 18 in Dec. 2014, making him just old enough to run for City Council.
Just how young is Geschwind? Consider that two current WeHo council members have served longer than Geschwind has been alive. Heilman has served for 28 years. Mayor Abbe Land for 21 years. Prang has served for 16 years.
To Geschwind’s potential run, we say “bravo.”
In West Hollywood, where there is an embarrassingly low voter turnout (20 percent of registered voters in last March’s municipal election), and many of the council members have remained in their seats for decades, we applaud Geschwind’s youthful zeal for politics.
Now, this won’t be the first time Geschwind has acted well above his age. You might remember that it was Geschwind who put together the 10-minute documentary “The Milk Effect,” about the legacy of Harvey Milk.
In the film, Geschwind, who has recently interned at West Hollywood City Hall, interviews all five of WeHo’s council members, as well as four candidates in the state’s 50th Assembly District race.
Geschwind’s film was shown as part of the city’s Harvey Milk Day in May 2012 and at Laemmle NoHo 7 theatre in Dec. 2012.
The wonderkid, who describes himself as a film enthusiast (check out his entertainment blog here) and a political junkie, made the film in a mere four weeks.
For more political buzz about the election, which is 18 months away, click here.
Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Geschwind is a sophomore in high school. He is a junior.
Too bad he isn’t running to replace I’ve sold out to every developer Mayor Eric Garcetti. Of course he would be better than any of the political hacks on the LA or WEHO city councils.
Great article, Great kid… hope he runs.. and think of this, by the time hes 30 with he will no longer be eligible due to term limits ! Why not a debate that includes the views of the next generation.
Knowing no more that I know now about him now, I’d vote for him instead of at least one current councilmember. (…and I’ve voted in every election since West Hollywood became a city and I moved here.)
You’d also think after the Lindsey Horvath debacle that the voters will be weary of picking someone solely because youth and charming appeal. The job is much more serious (or should be considered as such).
Embarrassing. Not as horrible as that town that has a six year old mayor but seriously considering kids for political office wreaks of naivete and desperation. He cannot even vote in a public election yet he would vote on public policy!? Let’s get real….
I would watch this young man and see what he’s thinking and doing. He sounds quite amazing.