I have talked to a lot of community leaders, activists, and power players in the city of Torrance.
The noise in the background from disgruntled residents cannot be missed.
They have to join the Torrance Historical Society.
They need to help with the Rose Float.
They need to sit on a city commission, yet appointments to the commission depend on the will and whim of the city council.
How does one get an assignment there? "You have to kiss the ring."
That statement simply means you have to play nice with the city council members, get on their good side.
Some residents in Torrance resent this whole set up.
Why should anyone be excluded from public office if they have not volunteered a considerable amount of time to certain civic functions?
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During one city election, one candidate was eminently qualified because he had a requisite amount of experience. Yet the voters ended up choosing the other person, because she had important connections with city community leaders.
Now, whether we like it or not, that's politics. People are not going to vote for someone whom they do not know. They are also more likely to support someone whom they have met, whom they have seen in action, doing someting–anything–for the community.
Whether people think that is fair or unfair, that's the way many elected officials rise in the ranks.
On the other hand. public service in elected office should be about competence, not just connections; principles, not popularity.
What will we see running the city of Torrance in the years to come?
There is nothing wrong with volunteering one's time on educational committees, or charitable functions. There is nothing wrong with sharing one's time to serve the city and its residents, whether one gets the limelight or not.
The Torrance Way, however anyone frames it, should focus on getting the most principled, competent people elected to the city council and school board.