Libertarian’s Silence on Issues Baffles Simi Council Members

Shortly after Sandi Webb was elected to the Simi Valley City Council in November, Mayor Greg Stratton was asked his opinion about how Webb’s Libertarian Party affiliation might affect her vote on city issues.

“Well, I don’t think she is going to try and abolish the City Council or anything,” he joked.

Webb laughed when told of the mayor’s comments during a recent interview. She said her goal is not to eliminate government but “to make things run a little smoother for people.”

For Webb, making things run smoother means less government interference in the daily lives of individual citizens and more emphasis on personal freedom--which in essence is the foundation of the Libertarian philosophy.

Webb, 42, is one of only a few party members to hold an elected office in the state and the only one in Ventura County, according to state Libertarian Party officials.

Although her position on the Simi Valley City Council is nonpartisan, Webb’s political philosophy has been reflected in her voting record during the five months that she has been in office.

Webb was the only council member in February to vote against adopting a water conservation ordinance. The ordinance called for restrictions on the watering of lawns and driveways with violators facing fines ranging from $100 to $500.

Despite the urgency expressed by her colleagues over worsening drought conditions, Webb said she thought that the ordinance was unenforceable and would create tension among residents by encouraging neighbors to report on one another to the city.

“I will not vote for a mandatory measure until I am convinced that we have tried everything else,” Webb said at the time.

In April, Webb again found herself at odds with her council colleagues by opposing a hazardous materials management plan. The plan, which was adopted by the council, requires local businesses to provide detailed information to the city about the use, manufacture and storage of hazardous materials. Businesses are already required to provide such information to a number of county agencies, including the county Fire Department and the Department of Environmental Health.

Webb told the council that she wanted time to study the plan further because she feared that the city might be over-regulating businesses.

Two weeks ago, Webb abstained from voting on an air quality amendment to the city’s General Plan, used as a guide for future development in the city. The amendment provides the city with some leverage in what it can require from businesses to better control air pollution.

“I didn’t feel all my questions had been answered,” Webb said of her reason for not voting on the amendment.

But council members said Webb herself has not provided answers or reasoning for voting--or not voting--on these issues. They said it is her silence and not her party affiliation that concerns them most.

“It always shocks people when you vote no, and then you don’t say anything,” Stratton said. “If she’s going to take a position that’s different, the council wants to know why. So far, she has not said a lot.”

And what about Webb’s political philosophy? There are two Democrats and two Republicans in the remaining four council seats.

“I have never criticized anybody for their beliefs as long as they are sincere about it,” said Stratton, a Republican.

Councilwoman Judy Mikels took a similar position.

“She has a different opinion than mine, but then so do a lot of other people,” Mikels said of Webb. Besides, Mikels said, “there are five people on the council. She’s only one vote out of five.”

But Councilman Bill Davis said he has a hard time understanding why Webb even ran for the council.

“If she believes all that party stuff, then why is she in government?” he asked. “She’s now a part of the bureaucracy she hates.”

However, Webb said she got involved because “I want to change things. I don’t see that I’m any different than other members of the council.”

Webb agreed with Stratton that she is having trouble expressing her views on issues, whatever they may be. She blames this mostly on her inexperience.

Indeed, before her election, Webb had no political experience.

Most of her time has been devoted to managing her Simi Valley architectural firm, California Designs, taking care of her 10-year-old daughter and spending time with her husband, Daniel Wiener.

Webb and Wiener, also a Libertarian who has run unsuccessfully for the state Assembly and for Congress, have had a “contractual marriage” for the past 13 years.

The arrangement calls for each to contribute a specific amount of money every year toward raising their child. It also spells out how much time each will devote to housework. Webb said the couple’s unusual marriage is just another example of their Libertarian ways.

“It’s worked beautifully,” Webb said, adding that every year on the couple’s anniversary they celebrate by renewing their contract.

Webb said she was first drawn to the Libertarian Party by reading the works of the late novelist, Ayn Rand, best known for her book, “The Fountainhead.” The book is about an architect who decides to blow up a skyscraper he designed rather than compromise his principles and accept modifications made to conform to popular taste.

Rand is often cited as having a major influence on the Libertarian Party because of the importance that her books place on personal freedom. But Rand herself did not endorse the party, once referring to it as “a random collection of hippies of the right who seek to play politics without philosophy.”

Webb dismisses the remark, saying that Rand had been disappointed by the unkept promises of a few politicians and made it a point to distance herself from the political arena in general.

“I still hold her in high regard,” Webb said.

There are now about 50,000 registered Libertarians in the state, said Dick Rider, a spokesman for the party.

He said the party’s primary objectives include abolishing taxes, the welfare system and the military draft.

“The role of government should be to promote individual rights and freedoms so that we can make decisions about how we want to live our own lives,” he said.

Webb, who was a delegate to the state party convention held in Monterey, Calif., in February, said she is committed to doing her part to help the party achieve its goals by voting for less government regulations. But she insists that this doesn’t mean she isn’t flexible on city issues.

“If I were to vote strictly party line,” she said, “I would vote no on everything.”