Torrance City Council Race: Kurt Weideman (Won't Talk to Me)

Kurt Weideman

I have tried two times to get answers from current city council member and candidate Kurt Weideman.

He has been endorsed by conservative Susan Rhilinger, and a host of other candidates.

He touts his prior experience as a commissioner and as a councilmember.

With the current experience the city of Torrance is facing massive pension liabilities.

$400 million dollars!

Weideman trumpeted that with current reforms enacted by himself and colleagues, the city of Torrance saved $800,000 last year.

That sum is a rounding error compared to the massive losses awaiting, or rather leaning on the city.

Having three tiers of employees each paying in a different amount to their pension is creating havoc, is it not?

Reform should have some simplicity about it.

I can think of no better plea to make to city employees (not to the unions, since they are not the same, nor do the necessarily share the same interests) than: "If we do not make the hard choices when we  have control over the process, then later on will have to make the hard decisions, and we will not have choices."

Why won't Weiderman talk to me?

Is he so sure that he will win this race?

I looked over his campaign finance disclosures, and I noticed for the first quarter of this year, he received money from Torrance residents. That's good.

In financial reports from last year, Weideman also receive contributions predominantly from Torrance residents. (Many of his late reports include contributions from family, I gather, since the name "Weideman" appears a number of times)

As an appointed councilmember, plus the recent endorsement of the Daily Breeze, does he think that he is going to breeze into office for a full term?

He has a massive list of endorsements from present and pass city council leaders. I suspect, however, that most of these endorsements are motivated by statistics rather than policy or values, since political science know-how suggests that incumbents often win reelection anyway.

Could that conventional wisdom be turned on its head this year?

At least Weideman ought to explain why he thinks that $800,000 in savings is acceptable in the face of multi-million dollar liabilities, plus the loss of Toyota, in addition to the decrepit streets and infrastructure in great disrepair in the city of Torrance.