Valley Village : Mayor Visits Seniors to Sow Votes, Smiles

Courting the senior citizen vote and continuing to raise his public profile, Mayor Richard Riordan toured the East Valley Multipurpose Senior Center Wednesday, stopping by a luncheon for about 60 seniors.

Noting that he is also a senior citizen, Riordan quipped: “I’m going around [to senior centers] to see where the most beautiful women are so that--after I’m mayor--I’ll know where to have lunch every day.”

After touring the center, which offers health screenings, meals, legal assistance and classes ranging from Spanish to quilting, Riordan said he has made a habit of visiting a senior center each month to take the pulse of the community.

Sitting in City Hall, “sometimes you get so removed from what’s going on that it’s really very satisfying to solve small problems--filling potholes, fixing storm drains.”

To wit, Riordan said he will try to lend his clout to repairing earthquake damage at the center’s offices and ruts in the parking lot.

The seniors gathered at the center run by the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council for a lunch of herb chicken, peas, salad and wheat bread said they thought the visit was politically motivated, but they didn’t mind.

“He’s here for the simple reason that it’s publicity and publicity is needed” for the 1997 election, said 88-year-old Earl Speyer.

“He wants our votes,” chimed in Tillie Valle, 83. “Senior citizens vote. We like to be counted.”

The mayor can rest assured on that count, Valle said, noting her appreciation for his businesslike approach to government and his support of police officers.

The mayor didn’t specifically talk politics, though, instead posing for photographs, signing autographs and telling jokes, including the one about the politician who wanted to be buried in Chicago so he could continue to be active in politics.

Attendee Ada Wecksler, 89, said she just had a good feeling about Riordan, confiding that “he’s a lot better-looking in person than he is on the television.”