LA’s Architectural Elite Engage Wendy Greuel in AIA/LA Mayoral Candidate Forums

Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel appears at home on the campaign trail, relaxed and in touch with her audience, gentle and deferential with her moderators, and entertaining as she quietly takes control of the stage and guides the conversation.

This past Friday, Greuel joined Bill Roschen, President of LA’s Planning Commission, andChristopher Hawthorne, Architecture Critic for the LA Times, for the fourth of five Mayoral Candidate Forums hosted by the AIA/LA in downtown’s Deaton Hall.

Greuel artfully interrupted her introduction to claim the title of “Valley Girl” and then held control of the conversation throughout the evening, right up until the end when she thanked the audience for giving up a Friday night and declared “It gives me hope and it’s the reason I’m running for Mayor of Los Angeles.”

One can imagine Greuel in the role of LA’s Mayor. She has presence, she’s confident, and she communicates control, definitely traits that LA’s Salesperson-in-Chief will need in order to sell the people of LA on a new vision that will move LA forward.

Unfortunately, Greuel’s vision for LA also requires the audience’s imagination. Long on charming anecdotes and an insider’s perspective of LA’s bureaucratic foibles, Greuel’s platform includes slogans such as “Let’s plan for that Future” and “LA is open for Business” but lacks the specificity worthy of her career and her experience.

In spite of her declaration “There is no political advantage to uncertainty!” Greuel artfully held agnostic positions on everything from weekly CycLAvias to Farmers Field, typically positioning the complexity of circumstances as an obstacle to simple commitments.

As for the AIA, they are clear in their vision. “Our focus at the AIA is to emphasize the role that design excellence, in all its forms, plays in creating a world class city,” said AIA/LA President Stuart Magruder, “and alleviating tensions that arise in a dense and diverse urban environment.”

Visit City Watch LA for video of the AIA/LA conversation with LA Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is the voice of the architecture profession, dedicated to serving and empowering its members through advocacy, educational and outreach programs as well as educating the public on the value and importance of architecture.

City Watch LA is LA’s opinion, news and information website and newsletter.  CityWatch reports and provides perspective on the issues that face us in Los Angeles at the neighborhood level.  Our mission is to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.