Thomas Small is highly responsive to our residents. He's a lovely man, a true collaborator. And he's brilliant.

I've only known Thomas for a year or so, but I've made a special study of him.

Why do I say he's highly responsive?

Thomas has heard from residents how fearful they are of fracking and other dangerous activities on the Inglewood Oil Field. Ultimately, he wants the oil left in the ground. But if the route to go at the moment is regulations, you'd better believe when he's on the Council he'll investigate the proposed regulations thoroughly, make sure they're stringent, and vote intelligently.

Thomas was one of only three people endorsed by the Sierra Club--Daniel Lee, Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells and Thomas. (And despite all the statements from Goran Eriksson and others that they are concerned, "true" environmentalists, just keep in mind: the Sierra Club did not endorse them)

During the delightful Ask2Know forum, where it was students asking the questions, Thomas heard them repeatedly say that they have nothing (well, almost nothing) to do in Culver City. He'd already been thinking about how we could raise the funds for another pool. Now he's also thinking about creative ways to bring back an ice skating rink, and where it could be located.

Since Thomas's expertise is in architecture, urban design, environmental sustainability, and transportation (plus other related fields), he's well prepared to arrive at solutions no one else would ever have thought of.

Which bring me to traffic. Thomas tells me that the #1 concern most residents express to him is traffic. Here again, his concern is for the residents and our well being. He knows every development that's coming to town and those adjacent to Culver City that will also impact our traffic.

Luckily for us, he knows every form of transportation known to mankind. And he knows how to negotiate with developers to make sure they include in their designs whatever we need to mitigate traffic, whether it's an area for bike sharing and car sharing or a large drop-off area for Uber and Lyft shuttles or something else.

It's pretty hard to summarize a person in one letter, but keep in mind his responsiveness to the residents. Please visit his website,www.thomas4culvercity.org. And make sure to cast your ballot Tuesday, April 12!

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Rebecca Rona-Tuttle

Culver City