L.A. City Council candidates Essel and Krekorian reflect on mayor at debate

from the LA Times

by Maeve Reston

The days may be dwindling in the runoff race for the vacant seat of former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, but one thing is clear -- neither candidate is looking for a last-minute campaign boost from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

During a debate Monday night at Valley College, Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles) and his rival, Christine Essel, a former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive, both dodged a question about whether they would vote for Villaraigosa if he were running for another office.

And Essel hastened to dispel rumors that Villaraigosa is planning to endorse her before the Dec. 8 runoff for a seat representing residents of the San Fernando Valley, where the mayor had a weak showing in his March re-election campaign. “I don’t know exactly who is creating [the rumors], but it isn’t anybody in my camp,” Essel told an audience of more than 100. “The mayor is not endorsing anybody in this race and he is not helping me with my race.”

Both Krekorian and Essel said they were pleased that Villaraigosa decided to finish his second term in Los Angeles instead of beginning a gubernatorial campaign earlier this year.

“He came in with a lot of promise, I think all of us felt that, and there’s been some inaction there,” Essel said. “My preference would be to see him actually do something in this city that provides a legacy.”

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